What does waggonload mean?
A waggonload is the amount of material carried by a wagon or the quantity that one wagon can contain. Its literal use is chiefly associated with British English and with an earlier era of transport, when wagons were a common means of moving agricultural goods and other freight. The word is also used figuratively for a very large quantity: a speaker might describe an excessive amount of information, criticism, or food as a waggonload of it. In that extended sense, the expression combines the practical measuring function of a wagon with a degree of comic exaggeration. Although the spelling waggonload is especially associated with British usage, it corresponds to the more common American spelling wagonload. The word is useful both as a historical term and as a vivid, slightly humorous expression for abundance or excess.
nounThe amount of goods or other material carried by a wagon, or the quantity that a wagon can hold. By extension, it can mean a very large amount of something.
- The quantity of goods or other material carried by, or capable of being loaded into, a wagon.
- A very large, often inconvenient or excessive quantity of something.
"The farmer emptied a waggonload of hay into the barn before the storm arrived."
"They moved a waggonload of old newspapers to the recycling centre."
"The announcement produced a waggonload of complaints."
The regular plural is used when referring to separate loads or figurative quantities.
"Several waggonloads of timber were delivered that afternoon."
Once a practical measure of haulage, a waggonload survives as a wonderfully hyperbolic way to describe an enormous quantity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of waggonload
Waggonload is an English compound formed from waggon and load. Waggon entered English as a spelling variant of wagon and ultimately reflects Dutch wagen, which belongs to the same Germanic word family as the English form. The compound developed as a practical measure of the quantity a wagon could carry before acquiring its more expansive figurative sense.
Related word forms
How waggonload is actually used
The literal sense is relatively dated and uncommon, especially where goods are now transported by lorries or trucks. The figurative expression is more familiar but retains an informal, mildly old-fashioned flavor.
Easily confused with waggonload
Waggonload is chiefly associated with British spelling conventions, while wagonload is the standard spelling in American English.