Gondolas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of long, narrow boat traditionally used in the canals of Venice, typically propelled by a gondolier using a single oar
2. Elegant, flat-bottomed vessels that navigate shallow waters, often associated with romantic rides in Italian city canals
3. Transport crafts with a distinctive shape which are commonly rowed by a standing figure, symbolizing Venetian culture and tourism

Etymology: "Gondolas" is the plural of "gondola," the long, flat-bottomed boat poled through Venice's canals. The singular was borrowed from Italian "gondola," which took it from the Venetian dialect form "góndoƚa." Its deeper origin is uncertain: one possibility is a Medieval Greek word "kontoûra," meaning a kind of cutter or small ship, which would link the Venetian boat to the seafaring vocabulary of the Byzantine world that once had strong ties to the lagoon. The plural form simply follows the usual English pattern of adding "-s" to a noun borrowed from Italian, where the singular already ends in a vowel. Because the Italian singular ends in "-a," English speakers have sometimes been tempted to treat "gondolas" as a singular with a stray "s," but it is a plain plural.