A vocabulary of landscape — a landscape of words 1083 entries

ferry

FEHR-ee
The act of crossing a river’s current without being carried downstream, by angling the boat into the current and paddling against it. The boat moves laterally across the flow like a ferry on a cable. A forward ferry faces upstream; a back ferry faces downstream.
Etymology
From Old English ferian, to carry, transport. The river crossing is the original meaning.