Microcar

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A very small and inexpensive car designed to use little fuel and take up minimal road space in crowded towns
2. An extremely compact motor vehicle built for economy, often seating only two people and easy to park in tight spaces
3. A tiny automobile intended for city driving, offering low running costs and a small footprint on the road

Etymology: A microcar is simply a small car with a compound name: "micro-" from Greek "mikros", meaning small, joined to "car". The Greek prefix entered English as a scientific combining form, so "micro-" in this sense is a modern coinage rather than an ancient word for a vehicle. The "car" half has a longer and more surprising route. It traces back to a Proto-Celtic word "karros", which the Gauls took up as "karros", a wheeled vehicle. The Romans borrowed it as "carrus", meaning a wagon or cart, and it passed through Anglo-Norman "carre" into Middle English "carre" before becoming the modern "car". So a vehicle that began life as a Celtic cart name has been reattached to a Greek prefix meaning small.

Synonyms: minicar