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horsecar

horsecar

1 9.9
A vehicle like a tram pulled by horses on city tracks
  • noun
  • /ˈhɔrsˌkɑr/
  • Archaic
translation icon : tranvía tirado por caballos
  • The curve of the horsecar on its tracks, the curve in the team of horses tamely standing in the white, powdery winter air!

Examples

  • "To a right-minded man," Henry James Sr. is reported to have said, "a crowded Cambridge horsecar is the nearest approach to heaven on earth."

    Academic text (2007)
  • Streetcars were replaced by horsecars, and everyone's clothes changed.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Boys, you grab a horsecar, cab, anything.

  • In The Terminal, a horsecar at the end of the route is being turned around for the trip back.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The horsecar has HARLEM written in big letters up front.

    Academic text (1998)
  • She'd go to a tea or a whist party or something and just walk away in the middle, straight to the horsecar and on to the depot.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • They were immediately recognized by their agent's representative, who took them by horsecar through the city to the office: "It was like some kind of paradise."

    Academic text (1993)
  • In the 19th century, a horsecar provided transportation for passengers along the busy streets of New York City.

  • Locals often reminisced about their daily rides on the horsecar before electric trolleys took over the transit system.

  • Tourists in the historic district can still see a replica of the horsecar used for public transport in the early days.

Synonyms

vehicle
vshorsecar
1.6

A machine like a car or bus that carries people and goods

is an early city rail passenger conveyance pulled by animals
car
vshorsecar
130 5.7

A vehicle on tracks that carries passengers or goods

serves city street rails and passenger transit powered by animals historically
streetcar
vshorsecar
  • US
32 3.0

A vehicle that runs on tracks in city streets and carries people

uses animal power and predates electric street services
trolley
vshorsecar
  • US
32 2.5

A rail vehicle that uses electricity to carry people in a city

was an earlier animal pulled street service rather than electric operation
tram
vshorsecar
  • UK
26 1.3

A vehicle like a small train that runs on tracks in a city or mine

operates by animal power and predates electric systems
railroad car
vshorsecar
  • US
6 2.5

A vehicle on railway tracks that carries people or goods

operated on city rails and moved passengers using animal traction historically
railcar
vshorsecar
  • Specialized
5 3.7

A vehicle that runs on railway tracks to carry people or goods

is a street track passenger vehicle pulled by animals in early times
trolley car
vshorsecar
  • US
2 3.8

A vehicle that runs on tracks in city streets using electricity

moves people in early city lines using animal pulling not electric
railway car
vshorsecar
  • UK
1 2.3

A vehicle that runs on tracks and carries people or goods

was a city street vehicle pulled by animals for passenger transport earlier
horse-drawn vehicle
vshorsecar
1 3.8

A vehicle with wheels pulled by horses that carries people or goods

runs on rails in streets as an early passenger service before electric systems
tramcar
vshorsecar
  • UK
1 3.4

An electric car that runs on city tracks to carry people

operated by animals in early city service before electric power

Surface Forms

horsecar singular
horsecars plural

Morphology

horsecar = horse + car (transparent) = horse + car

The meaning is a literal compound of 'horse' + 'car' (a carriage/vehicle pulled by horses), which B1 learners can derive from the components.

Etymology

Horsecar comes from the parts horse and car, so it literally means a 'car' pulled by a 'horse'. That's why the word names the old street vehicle on rails that carried people before electric trams.