Cab

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kæb/

Definitions

1. A hired vehicle used for transporting passengers to different locations
2. A transport service where individuals can pay to be driven to chosen locations in a vehicle
3. A car available for passengers to hire for transportation to various destinations

Etymology: The taxi sense of this word is a clipping of "cabriolet," a light two-wheeled carriage with a folding hood. The French name comes from "cabriole," a leap, which in turn traces back through Italian "capriola" to Latin "capra," goat. The name was apparently a nod to the vehicle's bouncy ride. Shortened to "cab," the name passed from the horse-drawn carriage to the motor vehicle, and it is the carriage's hired-out role that the modern taxi inherited. The word is also used for the enclosed compartment where a locomotive driver sits, a separate clipping of "cabin." Wine drinkers meet the same clipping in a different setting, where "cab" is shorthand for cabernet sauvignon, a grape with no connection to carriages.

Synonyms: taxi, vehicle, automobile, car, ride

Antonyms: pedestrian, walker, biker, INVALID, INVALID