FER'RY, verb transitive [Latin fero; allied to bear.] To carry or transport over a river, strait or other water, in a boat. We ferry men, horses, carriages, over rivers, for a moderate fee or price called fare or ferriage. FER'RY, verb intransitive To pass over water in a boat. FER'RY, noun 1. A boat or small vessel in which passengers and goods are conveyed over rivers or other narrow waters; sometimes called a wherry. This application of the word is, I believe, entirely obsolete, at least in America. 2. The place or passage where boats pass over water to convey passengers. 3. The right of transporting passengers over a lake or stream. adjective B. owns the ferry at Windsor. [In New England, this word is used in the two latter senses.]
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI