towage
(ˈtəʊɪdʒ)
[Used in 13th c. in med.L. form towāgium, in 13th or 14th c. in F. form touage, implying verbs med.L. towāre, F. touer. These verbs, however, have not yet been found at that date, and Hatz.-Darm. consider Fr. touer to be a deriv. of ON. toga to draw, pull; it might also be from MLG. togen: see tow v.1 The Eng. form towage appears in L. context a 1327. In mod. use it is felt as a direct derivative of tow v.1]
1. The charge or payment for towing a vessel (in quot. 1670, for permission to tow along the bank). Also attrib.
| [1286 Towagium (Du Cange). 1290 Rolls of Parlt. I. 27/1 Cum Dominus Rex habeat & habere debeat Towagium navium & batellorum majorum & minorum in Aqua de Tyne, ascendendo versus Novum Castrum.] 1562 in R. G. Marsden Sel. Pl. Crt. Adm. (Selden) II. 64 Towage, sownage, and petye lodemanshippe with all other accustomed averages. 1670 Blount Law Dict., Towage..is the towing or drawing a Ship... Also, that Money or other recompence, which is given by Bargemen to the owner of the Ground, next a River where they tow a Barge, or other Vessel. a 1688 Dallas Stiles (1697) 414 Merchant of the said Towage, Rowage, Anchorage,..and other dues. 1755 N. Magens Insurances I. 72 To the petty, or accustomary Average..belong Lodemanage, Towage, and Pilotage. |
2. The action or process of towing or being towed.
| [1297 Boston Customs Acc. Customs, K.R. Bd. 5 No. 5 dorso (P.R.O.), In frectagio pro .lij. saccis et .xx. petris lane..et in touwagio dictarum lanarum et in loadesmanagio .lxxj.s... Item in primagio .ij.s.] a 1327 Acc. Exch. K.R. 17/34 m. 3 (P.R.O.) In towage eorundem [xl doleorum vini] per aquam..de lostwithiel vsque Fawe ad nauem .xiij.s. .iiij.d. 1611 Cotgr., Toüaige, Towage, the towing of a ship by boats, or at the sterne of another ship. a 1640 Jackson Creed xi. xliv. §1 There is no possibility for two to go on breast, nor any room for steerage, but only towage. 1670 [see sense 1]. 1827 Blackw. Mag. XXI. 244 Under his towage we made way at a tolerably rapid rate. 1894 Times 12 Feb. 4/2 The Mosquito proceeded to tow the Cathay towards the Humber. The Cathay continued to labour heavily, and the towage required great care. |