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cargo hatch

cargo hatch

1 3.9
A door in a ship or plane that opens to the cargo area
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑrɡoʊ hætʃ/
translation icon : escotilla de carga
  • He nodded toward the Bugs by the cargo hatch.
  • open a cargo hatch
  • rear cargo hatch

Examples

  • His crew shuts the cargo hatches, and he gives a pleased salute to Fouchet.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The bugs aboard ship by the cargo hatch bristled, venom spines rising on their backs.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • No, no, it's the main cargo hatch.

  • With that, Harvey leaps through the cargo hatch.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • A giant winch aboard the Blackhawk starts to haul the 51 safe chain over pulleys up into a cargo hatch.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • I was careful to avoid the altercation still going on around the rear cargo hatch and picked my way through coils of rope, objects which I assumed to be belaying pins, and tumbled piles of sail fabric to a quiet spot in the bow.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The crew prepared to unload supplies by opening the cargo hatch of the ship.

  • She peered into the cargo hatch to check if all the equipment had arrived safely.

  • During the inspection, the technician discovered that the cargo hatch was malfunctioning.

Synonyms

hatch
vscargo hatch
140 3.7

A cover that closes an opening on a car or boat

is used specifically to reach the storage compartment on ships or planes
cargo door
vscargo hatch
3 3.7

A door on a truck, plane, or ship that lets people load and unload goods

is a smaller opening giving access to the storage compartment on ships or aircraft

Surface Forms

cargo hatch singular
cargo hatches plural

Morphology

cargo + hatch

The meaning is directly compositional: 'cargo' (goods carried) + 'hatch' (a cover/opening) yields a cover/opening providing access to the cargo area. This noun–noun compound follows a common and transparent English pattern and is likely obvious to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words and their literal senses.

Etymology

The phrase cargo hatch shows a simple picture: a hatch is a small door and cargo means the goods carried on a ship or plane. Because this small door opens into the cargo hold to load and unload, the phrase now means 'the hatch that gives access to the cargo area'.