aerial ladder truck
- noun
- /ˈɛəriəl ˈlædər trʌk/
- Specialized
:
camión de escalera
- The firefighters used the aerial ladder truck to rescue people from the burning apartment building.
Examples
-
Demonstrations showed how the aerial ladder truck could reach the top floors of tall structures.
-
Firefighters used the aerial ladder truck to rescue the cat from the tree.
-
A new aerial ladder truck was added to the city’s firefighting fleet.
-
The fire department dispatched an aerial ladder truck to the scene.
-
The firefighters used the aerial ladder truck to rescue people from the burning apartment building.
-
Demonstrations showed how the aerial ladder truck could reach the top floors of tall structures.
-
A new aerial ladder truck was added to the city’s firefighting fleet.
Synonyms
30
1.8
A big vehicle that carries firefighters and tools to put out fires
12
1.6
A large vehicle that carries firefighters and tools to fight fires
4
1.4
A large truck that carries firefighters and water to a fire
1
3.7
A fire engine with a long ladder that stretches to reach high places and rescue people
How High
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
Each constituent directly contributes to the composed meaning: 'aerial' (related to the air) modifies 'ladder' (a climbing frame) and 'truck' (a vehicle), so a learner can infer this is a vehicle with a ladder for reaching high places. Although a slightly technical term used in firefighting, the composition is literal and follows common noun-compounding patterns, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the words.
Etymology
Aerial ladder truck comes from the simple picture of a truck carrying a long ladder up into the air, and aerial is a word for 'in the air'. So the phrase refers to 'a fire engine with a long ladder that can reach high places'.