cunningham
n. countable C2 Proficiency US //ˈkənɪŋˌhæm// cun·ning·ham
n. a small boat used to carry people or goods to and from a ship. You see one when a larger vessel is too big to dock directly at the pier.
n. a small open boat, traditionally rowed, used for transporting passengers or cargo between a ship and the shore. Historically the largest boat carried by a sailing ship.
The captain lowered the cunningham into the water.
Passengers waited on the dock while the crew rowed the cunningham back and forth to unload luggage.
In the age of sail, the captain's barge was often a large, ornate cunningham designed to impress visitors with its polished woodwork and brass fittings.