vaixell

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan vaxell, from Late Latin vāscellum, diminutive of vās (“vessel”). Compare Occitan vaissèl, French vaisseau. It was an old-fashioned word until about 1990, when it was used to replace barco, which was felt to be too Castilian-sounding.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [bəˈʃe̞ʎ]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [vəˈʃeʎ]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [bəˈʃeʎ]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [vajˈʃeʎ]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [bajˈʃeʎ]

• Audio (Catalonia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eʎ

Noun

vaixell m (plural vaixells)

1. vessel, boat, ship

   Synonym: barco

   Hyponyms: nau, barca

Usage notes

• General colloquial usage is also Castilianism barco.

Related terms

• vaixella

Descendants

• →? Galician: baixel
• →? Portuguese: baixel

References

• “vaixell”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “vaixell”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “vaixell” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “vaixell”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)