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Glite Dictionary
ship chandler

ship chandler

7.8
A person or company that sells supplies and equipment to ships
  • noun
  • /ʃɪp ˈtʃændlər/
translation icon : proveedor marítimo
  • Many ports have at least one ship chandler ready to serve visiting vessels.

Examples

  • The captain called the ship chandler to restock fresh water and food for the upcoming voyage.

  • As a ship chandler, he provided everything from ropes to navigational charts.

  • The ship chandler provided everything the crew needed.

  • Many ship chandlers operate in busy ports.

  • The ship chandler provided the crew with everything they needed to prepare the vessel for departure.

  • As a seasoned ship chandler, he stocked a wide variety of ropes and anchors for different types of boats.

  • When the storm approached, the ship chandler quickly sold life jackets and emergency supplies to the sailors.

Synonyms

chandler
vsship chandler
6 9.0

A person or shop that sells food, tools, and equipment for ships

is the compound form used to name that seller
ship's chandler
vsship chandler
  • Specialized
9.4

A person who sells equipment and supplies for ships like ropes and sails

is more general and names a person or company supplying ship equipment
chandlery
vsship chandler
8.8

A shop that sells equipment and supplies for boats

refers to the person or company who sells those items rather than the shop

Surface Forms

ship chandler singular
ship chandlers plural

Morphology

ship + chandler

The meaning is directly compositional: a 'chandler' is a supplier and 'ship' specifies the client/field, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a supplier for ships. This follows a common noun-noun compound pattern found across languages, making the MWE predictable and transparent.

Etymology

Ship chandler comes from older times when a chandler was a seller of candles and small goods. A ship chandler was the person at the port who sold candles, ropes and food to ships, so today the term means 'a seller of ship supplies'.