cable railway
- noun
- /ˈkeɪbəl ˈreɪlweɪ/
:
ferrocarril funicular
- The cable railway carried tourists to the summit of the mountain each summer.
Examples
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Engineers inspected the cable railway to ensure that the cable and safety systems were functioning properly.
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A century-old cable railway still operates in the hills above the city.
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The cable railway runs from the valley to the mountain summit.
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Have you ever ridden a cable railway before?
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The cable railway took us to the top of the mountain, offering a stunning view of the valley below.
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Many tourists prefer to use the cable railway to reach the ski resort during the winter season.
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The cable railway was an essential mode of transport for the villagers, especially during heavy snowfall.
Synonyms
1
8.9
A railway that moves cars up and down a steep hill by a cable
A steep railway with two cars joined by a cable that balance each other
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a railway pulled by a cable' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'cable' (a strong wire or rope) with 'railway' (a track for trains); the compound names the type of railway that uses a cable. This noun–noun compounding is productive in English and has clear cross‑linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun cable railway comes from a simple picture: a railway where cars are pulled by a long, strong cable up and down a steep hill, like a rope hauling a cart. So the name today means a steep train system that uses a cable to move passengers or goods up and down slopes.