car train
1
4.5
- noun
:
tren de coches
- a two-car train
You know, I, I, I was in a, a car train going from Bulgaria to Kiev.
- You know, I, I, I was in a, a car train going from Bulgaria to Kiev.
Examples
-
The bulk of the rush hour service can be served by traditional loco and car trains.
Blog text (5) -
You know, I, I, I was in a, a car train going from Bulgaria to Kiev.
-
During the day, a two-car train arrives every twenty minutes from the tourist hub.
Fiction book (1999) -
We took the car train so we could bring our bicycles with us to the beach.
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The car train allowed passengers to travel comfortably while keeping their vehicles close by.
-
During the summer, many families choose to use the car train for road trips across the country.
How Large
1
4.5
- Specialized
- US
15
3.0
- US
∞
1.0
3
1.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a train that carries both passengers and their automobiles' is directly and compositionally derived from 'car' + 'train' — a straightforward noun+noun compound. This is a common, cross-linguistically transparent conception (e.g., 'car ferry', 'auto train') so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The compound car train comes from a simple, literal image: a train that carries people's cars so they can travel by train while their car goes with them. That's why car train means 'a train that carries both passengers and their automobiles'.