ENGLISH
REFERENCE

carriage

n. countable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈkæɹɪdʒ// UK //kˈæɹɪdʒ// car·riage Archaic

n. one of the separate sections of a train that carries passengers. In older times, it also meant a vehicle with four wheels pulled by horses.

n. a separate section of a train designed for passenger transport; also, a four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle. Often used in British English where American English prefers 'car'.


SIMPLE

The train has ten passenger carriages.

CONTEXTUAL

We walked through every carriage on the train looking for a seat but they were all full.

COMPLEX

The museum features a beautifully restored Victorian carriage, complete with velvet upholstery and the original crest of the family that commissioned it in the late nineteenth century.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English cariage, from Old Northern French cariage, from carier (“to carry”).

Usage

In the context of rail travel, 'carriage' is the standard British term, whereas 'car' or 'coach' is more common in North American English.

Idioms1 entry

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