Tripadvisor

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A website and mobile app offering travel reviews, booking options, and recommendations for hotels, restaurants, and attractions
2. An online platform where users can share experiences and opinions about various travel destinations and services
3. A resource for travelers to find and compare information on accommodations, eateries, and activities through user-generated content

Etymology: Tripadvisor is a brand name, so its etymology is a matter of corporate history rather than linguistic descent. The site was founded in 2000 in Newton, Massachusetts, as a division of the online travel company CMGI, and it launched its first version of the site in February 2000. The name is a compound of "trip," meaning a journey, and "advisor," one who gives counsel, so it reads as a plain promise of travel advice. The company was spun off and went public in 2011, after which it grew into a major platform for user-written hotel and restaurant reviews. Because the name is coined from ordinary English words, nothing about it is archaic or borrowed. Its meaning is literal: the site offers advice for trips, drawn from the reviews of other travellers. The word has since moved from a proper name into general use, where it sometimes serves as a shorthand for online traveller reviews in general.

Synonyms: travel review site