Meanings
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1
noun
a light rowboat formerly used to carry passengers or goods on rivers and in harbors
A wherry carried the travelers across the busy river.
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2
noun
a broad sailing barge traditionally used on the waterways of East Anglia
The restored wherry moved under sail across the Norfolk Broad.
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3
verb
historical: to carry someone or something by wherry
Boatmen would wherry passengers between the riverside stairs.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English whery, 'a small boat.' Its deeper origin is uncertain, though related forms occur in French houari, Breton ouari, and Welsh chweri for kinds of small boat.