Minicabs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of vehicle for hire that typically operates without a taxi meter and is often booked in advance
2. A form of public transportation that usually provides door-to-door services in urban areas
3. A pre-arranged private car service catering mainly to short-distance travel needs in cities

Etymology: "Minicab" is a compound of "mini-" and "cab", and the history is plain: the first element was attached to "cab" to name a smaller, cheaper taxi-like vehicle. "Cab" itself is a shortening of "cabriolet", a light two-wheeled carriage, so the older vehicle sits at the root of the newer word. The "mini-" element is a clipped form of "miniature" and has been used as a prefix meaning small since the mid-20th century, so the word reads as "small cab" in the most literal sense. The plural "minicabs" simply counts more than one such vehicle. Its meaning follows the base word closely, so the prefix does the work of distinguishing these hire cars from the metered black taxis they were set up to compete with.

Synonyms: taxis, cabs, hire cars