Shipper

//ˈʃɪp.ə(ɹ)// noun, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A seaman; mariner; skipper. archaic
  2. 2
    A person who supports a romantic or sexual relationship between fictional characters or real people. slang

    "For creative fans and committed 'shippers^([sic]), fanfiction continues the interaction — the dialogue, the conversation, the story […]"

  3. 3
    a company in the business of shipping freight wordnet
  4. 4
    The person or organization that ships (sends) something.

    "The shipper should have paid for insurance on the package, because it was damaged when it arrived."

  5. 5
    someone who ships goods wordnet
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    A box for shipping something fragile, such as bottled beer or wine.

Etymology

Etymology 1

Either formed anew from ship + -er or borrowed from Middle Low German schipper; compare skipper and Old English sċipere (“sailor”). Piecewise doublet of skipper (“captain, sailor”).

Etymology 2

From a clipping of relationshipper. Relationshipper emerged in early online fandom of the television series The X-Files as a term for fans who supported the possibility of a Mulder/Scully romance. It was shortened to r'shipper, then 'shipper, and finally shipper. By surface analysis, ship (“to create a fictional romantic relationship”) + -er.

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