Word of the Day: dunnage

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 17, 2016 is:

dunnage • \DUN-ij\  • noun

1 : loose materials used to support and protect cargo in a ship's hold; also : padding in a shipping container

2 : baggage

Examples:

The listed weight on the shipping order did not account for the container and dunnage .

"There are … efforts to reduce impact on the environment, with employees reusing as much of the packing material as possible. Boxes can be reused or turned into dunnage to use in packing." — The Crossville (Tennessee) Chronicle , 26 Nov. 2012

Did you know?

Etymologists don't know the exact origin of dunnage . Some have pointed out the similarity of the word to dünne twige , a Low German term meaning "brushwood ," but no one has ever proven the two are related. Others have speculated that it derives from Dunlop , the name of a famous cheese-making town in Scotland; however, neither the town nor the cheese has any connection to dunnage . Truth be told, though dunnage has been with us since the 15th century, its etymological history remains a mystery.

Aired August 17, 2016

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