Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'carrier' holds great significance in our daily lives, often referring to a person or thing that transports goods or people from one place to another. Its cultural importance is evident in various fields such as technology, aviation, and telecommunications. For instance, a cellphone carrier provides network coverage for mobile communication, while in military terms, a carrier is a warship that transports aircraft.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'carrier' in different languages can be intriguing and useful for global interactions. For example, in Spanish, it translates to 'transportista'; in German, 'Träger'; in French, 'transporteur'; in Mandarin, '载体' (Zàitǐ); in Japanese, 'キャリア' (Kyaria); and in Hindi, 'नाविक' (Nāvika).
Did you know that the concept of a 'carrier' has been around since ancient times? In history, ships were used as carriers for trade and exploration, shaping the course of civilizations. This word's fascinating evolution and cultural impact make it even more interesting to explore its translations across various languages.
Afrikaans | draer | ||
"Draer" is possibly derived from an old Dutch word meaning "bearer" or "one who carries". | |||
Amharic | ተሸካሚ | ||
ተሸካሚ can be used to refer to the subject of a sentence in the passive mood. | |||
Hausa | dako | ||
Dako can also mean 'a person who buys and sells'} | |||
Igbo | ụgbọelu | ||
ụgbọelu also refers to 'airplane' and literally means 'carrier of sky' | |||
Malagasy | mpitatitra | ||
The word 'mpitatitra' (carrier) is derived from the verb 'mitatitra' (to bear, to sustain). | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chonyamulira | ||
In some contexts, chonyamulira can mean 'to carry out (an order)'. This meaning is probably related to the fact that carriers have to follow instructions and carry out the requests of their employers. | |||
Shona | mutakuri | ||
"Mutakuri" derives from the verb "kutakura" (to carry) and also refers to a species of tick that transmits diseases, particularly in cattle. | |||
Somali | side | ||
The Somali word 'sheel' (side) also means 'to carry' or 'to transport'. | |||
Sesotho | mojari | ||
The word 'mojari' (carrier) in Sesotho also refers to the leather belt used to carry loads. | |||
Swahili | mbebaji | ||
In Swahili, 'mbebaji' can also colloquially refer to someone who gossips or spreads information. | |||
Xhosa | ophetheyo | ||
In the Xhosa language there are other words that also mean 'carrier:' iphama and umthwali. | |||
Yoruba | ti ngbe | ||
'Ti ngbe' also denotes a carrier basket used in conveying farm produce from the farm to homes. | |||
Zulu | othwala | ||
"Othwala" is commonly misused in the context of traditional marriage to denote the lobola, that is, the payment in livestock, but the original meaning of the word was the payment to the biological parents as a token of gratitude, as the bride and groom are regarded as children of both sets of parents. | |||
Bambara | tabaga | ||
Ewe | ame si tsɔa nu | ||
Kinyarwanda | umwikorezi | ||
Lingala | mokumbi biloko | ||
Luganda | omusitula | ||
Sepedi | mojari | ||
Twi (Akan) | ɔsoafoɔ | ||
Arabic | الناقل | ||
The word "الناقل" in Arabic is derived from the root word "نقل" which means "to transport" or "to carry", and can also refer to a "conveyor" or "channel". | |||
Hebrew | מוֹבִיל | ||
The word "מוֹבִיל" (carrier) in Hebrew also means "leading" or "guiding". | |||
Pashto | وړونکی | ||
In addition to its common usage, "وړونکی" is also employed as a metaphor in Pashto culture, signifying individuals who hold and pass on cultural knowledge and traditions over generations. | |||
Arabic | الناقل | ||
The word "الناقل" in Arabic is derived from the root word "نقل" which means "to transport" or "to carry", and can also refer to a "conveyor" or "channel". |
Albanian | transportues | ||
The word "transportues" in Albanian can also refer to a type of ship or boat used for transporting goods or people. | |||
Basque | garraiolaria | ||
In Basque garraiolaria (carrier) derives from garraiatu (to carry), and is ultimately related to the Indo-European root *ǵʰer-, found in English carry, carriage, and cargo. | |||
Catalan | transportista | ||
In Catalan, "transportista" can have multiple meanings, including "conveyor of goods" and "person who carries someone or something" | |||
Croatian | prijevoznik | ||
"Prijevoznik" (carrier) originates from the verb "prijevoziti" (to transport) and can also refer to a means of transport or logistics enterprise. | |||
Danish | transportør | ||
The word "transportør" has a distinct meaning in Danish related to the transfer of property ownership via a legal document. | |||
Dutch | vervoerder | ||
Dutch "vervoerder" also denotes someone operating with or using animals, such as horses or dogs | |||
English | carrier | ||
The word "carrier" has its origins in the Middle English word "carier" meaning "one who carries," ultimately deriving from the Latin word "carrus" meaning "cart." | |||
French | transporteur | ||
The word "transporteur" in French can also refer to a type of cable car or a conveyor belt. | |||
Frisian | ferfierder | ||
The Frisian word "ferfierder" is cognate with the English word "ferryman" and the Dutch word "veerman". | |||
Galician | transportista | ||
Galician 'transportista' originally referred to a smuggler or trafficker but the modern meaning of carrier arose via metonymy, as carriers also often performed these illicit activities. | |||
German | träger | ||
"Träger" can also mean a shoulder strap or suspender. | |||
Icelandic | flutningsaðili | ||
The word "flutningsaðili" originates from the Old Norse word "flytja", meaning "to move" or "to carry." | |||
Irish | iompróir | ||
Italian | vettore | ||
The Italian word "vettore" comes from the Latin word "vector" and also means "mathematical vector". | |||
Luxembourgish | träger | ||
In Luxembourgish, "Träger" can also refer to a person who holds a political, ecclesiastical, or honorary office. | |||
Maltese | trasportatur | ||
The Maltese word "trasportatur" comes from the Italian word "trasportatore" and means "one who transports" or "carrier." | |||
Norwegian | transportør | ||
Transportør can also refer to the conveyor belt in a conveyor system | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | transportadora | ||
In Portugal, "transportadora" can also refer to a company that provides transportation services, whereas in Brazil it specifically means a cargo airline or shipping company. | |||
Scots Gaelic | neach-giùlan | ||
The word "neach-giùlan" is literally "man-walking" and can also mean "pedestrian" or "walker". | |||
Spanish | portador | ||
"Portador" can also refer to a person who carries a message or news, or to a ship that carries goods or passengers. | |||
Swedish | bärare | ||
The word "bärare" in Swedish can also refer to a person who carries a message or an object, especially in a figurative sense. | |||
Welsh | cludwr | ||
"Cludwr" can also mean "porthole" or "window" in Welsh, and "cludo" means "to carry" or "to bear". |
Belarusian | носьбіт | ||
In the Belarusian language, the word "носьбіт" ("carrier") is etymologically related to the verb "насіць" ("to wear, to carry") and can also refer to a person who carries something or to a medium that carries information. | |||
Bosnian | nosač | ||
The word 'nosač' can also refer to a stretcher or a litter | |||
Bulgarian | превозвач | ||
The word "превозвач" can also refer to a ferry or a porter. | |||
Czech | dopravce | ||
In linguistics, "dopravce" also refers to a morpheme which transfers one grammatical category to another. | |||
Estonian | kandja | ||
In Estonian, the same word, "kandja," can also mean "bearer" or "holder" in a figurative sense, as in "the bearer of a secret" or "the holder of a record." | |||
Finnish | harjoittaja | ||
The Finnish word 'harjoittaja' can also refer to an instructor or a practitioner of a skill or activity. | |||
Hungarian | hordozó | ||
"Hordozó" is a Hungarian word that can refer to a carrier bag, a carrier pigeon, or a carrier ship. | |||
Latvian | pārvadātājs | ||
The Latvian word "pārvadātājs" can also refer to a transporter, conveyor or a person who transports something. | |||
Lithuanian | vežėjas | ||
Lithuanian "vežėjas" is cognate with the Greek "phoreús" (bringer), Latin "vector" (carrier), and Old French "voyage" (journey). | |||
Macedonian | носач | ||
The word "носач" can also refer to a type of primate, known in English as the proboscis monkey. | |||
Polish | nośnik | ||
"Nośnik" can also refer to a data medium (e.g. a USB stick, a CD) or an information carrier (e.g. a newspaper, a book). | |||
Romanian | purtător | ||
The word "purtător" comes from the Latin word "portare", meaning "to bear" or "to carry". | |||
Russian | перевозчик | ||
In Russian, the term "перевозчик" also denotes a person or company engaged in passenger or cargo transportation. | |||
Serbian | носач | ||
In Serbian, "носач" can also refer to a type of freshwater snail. | |||
Slovak | dopravca | ||
"Dopravca" literally translates as "one who transports" and can be used to refer to a transporter of either people or goods. | |||
Slovenian | prevoznik | ||
Prevoznik originates from the Proto-Slavic word *perevozъ, meaning "ferryman". | |||
Ukrainian | перевізник | ||
"Перевізник" can also mean "courier" or "ferryman" in Ukrainian. |
Bengali | বাহক | ||
The term "বাহক" can also refer to a vehicle or a person who transports goods or people, and its root word "বহন" means "to carry" or "to bear." | |||
Gujarati | વાહક | ||
The Gujarati word "વાહક" can also refer to a person who carries a palanquin or a litter. | |||
Hindi | वाहक | ||
"वाहक" also means "flow" in Sanskrit, possibly related to the verb "वह" (to flow). | |||
Kannada | ವಾಹಕ | ||
ವಾಹಕ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'वाहन' (vāhana), meaning 'vehicle' or 'mount'. | |||
Malayalam | കാരിയർ | ||
The word "കാരിയർ" in Malayalam can also mean 'a woman who has given birth to a child' or 'a female elephant'. | |||
Marathi | वाहक | ||
The Marathi word "वाहक" can also mean a palanquin-bearer or a litter-bearer. | |||
Nepali | वाहक | ||
Nepali 'vahāk' (वाहक) is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit root 'vah' (वह्), meaning to carry or transport. | |||
Punjabi | ਕੈਰੀਅਰ | ||
ਕੈਰੀਅਰ शब्द की व्युत्पत्ति 'कैरियर' शब्द से हुई है जिसका अर्थ होता है 'गाड़ी चलाने वाला' या 'ढोने वाला'। | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වාහකය | ||
The word "වාහකය" can also mean "vehicle" or "conveyor" in Sinhala. | |||
Tamil | கேரியர் | ||
The Tamil word "கேரியர்" can also refer to a "coffin" or a "paddy tray". | |||
Telugu | క్యారియర్ | ||
The word "క్యారియర్" in Telugu can also refer to a person who carries a message or goods, or a ship or aircraft that transports people or goods. | |||
Urdu | کیریئر | ||
The word carrier, derived from the Latin word "carrus" meaning "cart" or "wagon", is also used as a professional title for someone who transports goods or passengers as a means of employment. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 载体 | ||
载体 may refer to a carrier of a virus or biological material, a vehicle for transportation, or a material for storing information. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 載體 | ||
載體 can also mean 'container', 'medium', or 'vehicle' in Chinese. | |||
Japanese | キャリア | ||
"キャリア" can also refer to a career, occupation, or track record. | |||
Korean | 담체 | ||
The etymology of the Korean word 담체 is uncertain, but it is thought to be related to the word 담 (담, “wall”). | |||
Mongolian | тээвэрлэгч | ||
The word "тээвэрлэгч" can also refer to a person or animal that transports goods or people. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | လေယာဉ်တင်သင်္ဘော | ||
The word "carrier" in Burmese can also refer to an aircraft that launches smaller aircraft. |
Indonesian | pembawa | ||
Pem bawa means 'he/she who holds' in Indonesian or in Malay language. | |||
Javanese | operator | ||
In Javanese, 'operator' can also refer to 'one who acts on behalf of another'. | |||
Khmer | ក្រុមហ៊ុនដឹកជញ្ជូន | ||
Lao | ບັນທຸກ | ||
The Lao word ບັນທຸກ "carrier" is probably related to the Thai word "bāanthūk" (บันทุก) which means "to carry, support" and also "burden, load". | |||
Malay | pengangkut | ||
The word pengangkut (carrier) in Malay also refers to a person tasked with the responsibility to transport and deliver goods and items. | |||
Thai | ผู้ให้บริการ | ||
It can also refer to a business entity that provides transport or communications services. | |||
Vietnamese | vận chuyển | ||
The word "vận chuyển" can also mean "shipping" or "transport". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | carrier | ||
Azerbaijani | daşıyıcı | ||
In Azerbaijani, | |||
Kazakh | тасымалдаушы | ||
The word тасымалдаушы (tasymaldau) is derived from the verb "таcымалдау" (tasymaldau) which means "transport", and denotes one who carries or conveys goods or passengers by land, air, sea, or rail. | |||
Kyrgyz | ташуучу | ||
Ташуучу (carrier) is also a term for a person who carries luggage or goods, or for a vehicle that transports goods. | |||
Tajik | интиқолдиҳанда | ||
The word "интиқолдиҳанда" in Tajik can have various meanings depending on its usage, including "a person who carries something" and "a device that transmits something. | |||
Turkmen | daşaýjy | ||
Uzbek | tashuvchi | ||
The word 'tashuvchi' can also refer to a person or animal that transports goods from one place to another. | |||
Uyghur | توشۇغۇچى | ||
Hawaiian | lawe halihali | ||
In addition to its common meaning as "carrier," "lawe halihali" can also refer to an escort, a convoy, a guide, a mediator or go-between, a porter, or a vehicle for transportation. | |||
Maori | kaikawe | ||
In Maori, 'kaikawe' can also refer to a raft used for transporting goods. | |||
Samoan | feaveaʻi | ||
The word “feavea'i” (“carrier”) carries dual etymological significance: “to bear, take, take away or lift” and “shoulder”. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | tagadala | ||
"Tagadala" is not exclusive to humans as it has a secondary meaning: a device or animal that holds something. |
Aymara | ukatsti | ||
Guarani | ogueraháva | ||
Esperanto | portanto | ||
Esperanto portanto can also mean "carrier bag" or even "bag of tricks" | |||
Latin | carrier | ||
The Latin "carrier" (carrarius) also means "chariot driver." |
Greek | φορέας | ||
The Greek word φορές can also mean "burden," "load," "wearer," or "bearer of a disease." | |||
Hmong | cov cab kuj | ||
Cov cab kuj can also mean "backpack." | |||
Kurdish | barkêş | ||
The word 'barkêş' also refers to a type of wooden container used for transporting honey or molasses. | |||
Turkish | taşıyıcı | ||
The Turkish word "taşıyıcı" can also mean "bearing" or "supporter". | |||
Xhosa | ophetheyo | ||
In the Xhosa language there are other words that also mean 'carrier:' iphama and umthwali. | |||
Yiddish | טרעגער | ||
The word "טרעגער" ("carrier") in Yiddish can also refer to a person who carries heavy loads by hand, like a porter or a laborer. | |||
Zulu | othwala | ||
"Othwala" is commonly misused in the context of traditional marriage to denote the lobola, that is, the payment in livestock, but the original meaning of the word was the payment to the biological parents as a token of gratitude, as the bride and groom are regarded as children of both sets of parents. | |||
Assamese | বাহক | ||
Aymara | ukatsti | ||
Bhojpuri | वाहक के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ކެރިއަރ އެވެ | ||
Dogri | वाहक | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | carrier | ||
Guarani | ogueraháva | ||
Ilocano | agaw-awit | ||
Krio | di pɔsin we de kɛr di tin dɛn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | هەڵگر | ||
Maithili | वाहक | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯦꯔꯤꯌꯔ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | carrier a ni | ||
Oromo | baattuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବାହକ | ||
Quechua | apaykachana | ||
Sanskrit | वाहकः | ||
Tatar | ташучы | ||
Tigrinya | ተሸካሚ | ||
Tsonga | murhwali | ||