Embark
/ɪmˈbɑːrk/noun
To board a ship or begin a journey, task, or enterprise.
Did you know?Embark entered English through French from a Germanic root tied to boats and barges, so its modern “begin a journey” sense still carries the ghost of physical launch and separation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*barkō
“boat, vessel”
Late Latin
Latin
barca
“small boat, skiff”
Old French
Old French
embarquer
“to put on board a ship”
16th Century
English
embarken
“to go aboard a ship”
Modern English
English
embark
“to board a ship or begin an undertaking”