Roadster

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹəʊdstə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A small car designed with two seats and a retractable roof for open-air driving
2. A compact automobile featuring two seats and a foldable top, allowing for driving with an open roof
3. A sporty vehicle that typically seats only two people and has a roof that can be lowered or removed

Etymology: Roadster is one of those words whose meaning has shifted with the machines it names. The "-ster" ending is an old English suffix for a person who does something, as in "spinster" or "huckster," so a roadster was originally a horse or a person suited to the road. Attached to "road," the suffix produced a word for a horse bred for long journeys, and only later did it come to name a car. The word's second life came with the automobile. Early motor vehicles were often built with open bodies and a single bench, and the name was transferred to these light, open two-seaters, the sporty cars that suited the open road. The meaning narrowed over time to a compact, two-seat car with a folding or removable top, which is the sense used today.

Synonyms: convertible, sports car