tunnage
Noun: 1. A tax or duty levied on ships, historically based on the cargo capacity of the ship (its tonnage). This term specifically refers to the tax itself, not the measurement of the ship's capacity.
The word "tunnage" is an archaic or historical spelling of "tonnage" when referring to this specific type of tax. It is rarely used in modern English, where "tonnage duty" is the standard term. * The port authority collected the tunnage from every merchant vessel. * A dispute arose over the tunnage imposed on foreign ships.
- Historical/Legal Context: "Tunnage" appears in historical documents, legal charters, and older texts dealing with maritime law and port duties.
- The 1672 Act of Parliament granted the king tunnage and poundage for life.
- Tonnage (Noun): The modern and primary spelling with two main meanings:
- The weight of goods carried in a ship or the ship's carrying capacity.
- A duty or tax on ships based on this capacity (making it a direct synonym for "tunnage" in this sense).
- Tonnage Duty (Noun Phrase): The modern term for a tax based on a ship's tonnage.
- Poundage (Noun): A historical tax levied on the value of goods (per pound sterling), often mentioned alongside "tunnage."
- Tonnage duty
- Ship tax
- Harbor due (related, but can be broader)
It is critical to distinguish the target word "tunnage" (the tax) from the concept of "tonnage" as a measurement. While historically linked, in contemporary understanding they are separate: * Tunnage/Tonnage (as tax): A financial charge or duty. * Tonnage (as measurement): A unit of volume or weight describing a ship's size or cargo capacity (e.g., "The ship has a gross tonnage of 50,000."). This usage is never spelled "tunnage" in modern English.
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a tax imposed on ships that enter the US; based on the tonnage of the ship
