automobile
UK /ˈɔː.tə.məˌbiːl/ · US /ˈɔː.tə.məˌbil/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms automobiles automobiling automobiled
- noun (US, Canada, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand) A type of motor vehicle designed to move on the ground under its own stored power and intended to carry a driver, a small number of additional passengers, and a very limited amount of other load.
- verb (intransitive, dated) To travel by automobile.
- adjective Self-moving; self-propelled.
Synonyms
auto cage cah car devil wagon horseless carriage motor car wheels whip autokinetic machine motorcar
Etymology
From French automobile, from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”) + French mobile (“moving”), from Latin mōbilis (“movable”), equivalent to auto- (“self”) + mobile.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An automobile vehicle or mechanism; esp., a self-propelled vehicle suitable for use on a street or roadway. Automobiles are usually propelled by internal combustion engines (using volatile inflammable liquids, as gasoline or petrol, alcohol, naphtha, etc.), steam engines, or electric motors. The power of the driving motor varies from about 4 to 50 H. P. for ordinary vehicles, ranging from the run-about to the touring car, up to as high as 200 H. P. for specially built racing cars. Automobiles are also commonly, and generally in British usage, called motor cars.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “automobile”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details