Etymology

Compound of fahren ‎(“travel”) +‎ Zeug ‎(“equipment”), which is a calque of Middle Low German vārtüch. The word was originally restricted to vessels, as still is Dutch vaartuig.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfaː(ɐ̯)tsɔʏ̯k/, [ˈfaːɐ̯tsɔʏ̯k], [ˈfaːtsɔʏ̯k] (standard)
• IPA^(key): /ˈfaːtsɔʏ̯ç/ (northern and central Germany; chiefly colloquial)