stowaway
Meaning
A person who hides on a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle in order to travel secretly or without paying.
Structure
Usage
The crew discovered a stowaway in the ship's cargo hold after three days at sea.
Airlines face heavy fines for inadvertently transporting a stowaway.
He lived the life of a stowaway, hopping freight trains to cross the country.
Etymology
The word 'stowaway' is a transparent compound formed from the verb 'stow' and the adverb 'away'. 'Stow' itself originates from the Old English noun 'stōw', meaning a place, which evolved into a verb for placing or storing something securely. The addition of 'away' intensifies the sense of concealment and removal from sight. Thus, the term literally describes one who is stored or hidden away, a logical and vivid description for a person who secretly boards a vehicle to avoid detection. It emerged in the early 19th century, coinciding with the rise of commercial steamship travel, to label this specific act of clandestine passage.
Analysis
- stow: From Middle English 'stowen', meaning to place or lodge. Of Germanic origin, related to Old English 'stōw' (a place). - away: From Old English 'aweg', 'onweg', meaning on one's way, onward, from a place. A common adverbial particle.