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horsecar

horsecar

1 9.9
A vehicle like a tram pulled by horses on city tracks
  • noun
  • /ˈhɔrsˌkɑr/
  • Archaic
: 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
87 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
44 3.0

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

uses animal power and predates electric street services
tram
vshorsecar
  • UK
32 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
trolley
vshorsecar
  • US
14 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
railroad car
vshorsecar
  • US
7 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
3 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
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
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

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.