Wheelbarrow

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈʍiːl.bæɹ.əʊ/

Definitions

1. A single-wheeled or two-wheeled cart with handles at the rear, designed to be pushed by one person for transporting small loads of materials or goods
2. A type of cart with one or two wheels and handles, specifically made for easy manual transport of various small items or materials
3. This is a manually operated vehicle featuring one or two wheels, utilized for carrying light loads of dirt, tools, or supplies

Etymology: The wheelbarrow is a compound of two very old English words, and the more surprising part is the second one. "Barrow" once meant a basket, and before that a container for carrying things. The Old English "bearwe" comes from the same Proto-Germanic root that gives English "bear," so the earliest barrows were simply things that were borne or carried. The "wheel" half is older than English itself in its first form, descending from a Proto-Indo-European root for turning or revolving. Old English "hwēol" became Middle English "whel," and the two parts were joined in Middle English as "whelbarwe," which was then shortened over time to the modern form. The word's wheel element, in other words, had turned itself into the word we use, while the barrow element had been a carrying basket long before it acquired a wheel.

Synonyms: barrow