embarkment
noun
Embarkment — a rarer variant naming the act of boarding for departure
Definition
The act of passengers and crew getting aboard a ship or aircraft
In depth
Embarkment, like embarkation, names the act of passengers and crew getting aboard a ship or aircraft. The word is a less commonly used variant, occasionally found in older or more formal writing, carrying identical meaning to the far more frequently encountered 'embarkation.'
Origin
The word shares its root entirely with 'embarkation,' both descending from French embarquer, to embark. Its relative rarity follows the same pattern seen in 'disembarkment' versus 'disembarkation,' English gradually favoring one of two nearly identical noun forms through sheer accumulated frequency of use over time.
Usage examples
"The ship's manifest recorded the precise hour of embarkment for every passenger aboard."
"Older naval records sometimes favor the term embarkment over the now more standard embarkation."
"Embarkment proceeded smoothly, the crew having rehearsed the procedure countless times before."
How to use it
Embarkment is a rare variant, largely superseded by 'embarkation' in contemporary usage; writers will seldom need this form, though it remains correct and comprehensible in older or more formal historical texts.
Related concepts
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