unship

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to remove or unload people, animals, or cargo from a ship

   The crew began to unship the horses as soon as the vessel reached the dock.

2. 2
   verb

   to remove an oar, rudder, mast, or other fitting from its normal working position

   Before dragging the boat ashore, they had to unship the rudder.

3. 3
   verb

   historical: to throw a rider from a horse or otherwise unseat someone

   The horse's sudden turn threatened to unship its inexperienced rider.

Formed from the reversing or removal prefix un- + ship. Attested from the fifteenth century for taking goods out of a vessel, it later extended to detaching nautical equipment from position and, figuratively, to throwing a rider from a saddle.

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