Pendolino

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A high-speed electric passenger train built to tilt on curves so it can travel faster along existing tracks, first operated in Italy
2. A tilting express train that leans into bends to keep speeds high on older rail lines, a design associated with Italian railways
3. An electric tilt-body train capable of swinging into turns to maintain velocity, notably used on routes in Italy and Britain

Etymology: The name belongs to a train, not a person or a dictionary's stock of old words. Italian "pendolino" is a trademark, built from "pendolo", meaning "pendulum", with the diminutive suffix "-ino", so the literal sense is something like "little pendulum". The name refers to the tilting mechanism that lets the train lean into curves, a body that swings on its suspension much as a pendulum swings from its pivot. The trains were developed by Italian manufacturers and first ran in Italy, and the name was then applied to the tilting trains of other countries. The word appears in English mainly as a proper noun for these trains, and in everyday use it is a common noun for any train of this kind. The -ino ending is the same diminutive found in words like "cappuccino" and "violino", so the name is essentially a cute little word for a swinging device, chosen as a brand.