boatload
UK[ˈbəʊt.ləʊd]US[ˈboʊt.loʊd]
n
a very large amount or number of something
n
the amount of cargo or number of passengers that a boat can carry
Morpheme Breakdown
boat
load
boat
watercraft
load
amount carried
Etymology
the word 'boatload' is a transparent compound formed from two old english roots. 'boat' originates from the proto-germanic 'bait-', referring to a vessel, while 'load' derives from the proto-germanic 'laidō', meaning a way, journey, or burden. the compound literally meant the cargo capacity of a boat. through semantic extension, a term for a specific, large quantity evolved into a common hyperbolic idiom, 'a boatload of', used figuratively to denote an overwhelming or impressively large amount of anything, from work to money.
Analysis
Structure: boat (watercraft) + load (amount carried)
boat (old english 'bāt', a vessel for water transport) + load (old english 'lād', meaning a course, way, or carrying)
Examples
the company made a boatload of money from the new product launch.
we received a boatload of applications for the single internship position.
the ferry can carry a boatload of up to 500 passengers.