Etymology Dictionary

BALLAST,  a load to steady a ship.  (Dutch.)    Ballasting occurs in Cymbeline, iii. 6. 78; balast or ballast in Hackluyt's Voyages, i. 594; ii. pt. ii. 173.—Du. ballast, ballast; ballasten, to ballast.   (Many of our sea-terms are Dutch.) + Dan. ballast, ballast; ballaste, to ballast; also spelt baglast, baglaste. + Swed. barlast, a corrupted form, the O. Swed. being ballast (Ihre).   B. The latter syllable is, as all agree, the Du., Dan., and Swed. last, a burden, a word also used in English in the phr. 'a last of herrings;' see Last.   The former syllable is disputed; but, as the Swed. is corrupt, we may rely upon the Danish forms, which shew both the original baglast and the later form ballast, due to assimilation.   The Dan. bag means 'behind, at the back, in the rear;' and we find, in the Swed. dialects, that the adj. baklässt, i.e. back-loaded, is used of a cart that is laden heavily behind in comparison with the front (Rietz).   Hence 'ballast' means 'a load behind,' or 'a load in the rear;' and we may conclude that it was so called because the ballast was stowed more in the after part of the ship than in front, so as to tilt up the bows; a very sensible plan.   See Back.   C. Another etymology is given in the Wörterbuch der Ostfriesischen Sprache, by J. ten D. Koolman.   The E. Friesic word is also ballast, and may be explained as compounded of bal (the same word with E. bale, evil), and last, a load.   In this case ballast = bale-load, i.e. useless load, unprofitable lading.   This view is possible, yet not convincing; it does not account for the Dan. baglast, which looks like an older form. [※]

ADDENDA

'Balast of a shyppe, lestage;' Palsgrave.   In giving the etymology, I relied upon the Dan. form baglast as being the truest form.   This is untenable, for it happens that baglast is merely due to popular etymology, the word being turned into baglast (back-load) to give it a sort of sense.   Molbech (Dan. Dict.) tells us that the Dan. word was formerly barlast, as in Swedish.   Next, Ihre tells us that barlast was a corruption of ballast.   We are thus brought back to ballast as being the oldest form; and, this being so, I at once accept Kooman's etymology, as given by me in sect. C, above.   That is, bal-last is bale-last, evil or worthless load, as being the unprofitable part of the cargo.   See Bale (2) and Last (4).