automobile
See also: Automobile and auto-mobile
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From French automobile, from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”) + French mobile (“moving”), from Latin mōbilis (“movable”).
PronunciationEdit
- (UK, General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈɔː.tə.məˌbiːl/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈɔː.tə.məˌbil/, /ˌɔː.tə.məˈbil/, /ˌɔː.təˈmoʊ.bil/
Audio (US) (file) - Hyphenation: au‧to‧mo‧bile
NounEdit
automobile (plural automobiles)
- (US, Canada) A type of vehicle designed to move on the ground under its own stored power and intended to carry a driver, a small number of additional passengers, and a very limited amount of other load. A car or motorcar.
- 2013 July-August, Philip J. Bushnell, “Solvents, Ethanol, Car Crashes & Tolerance”, in American Scientist:
- Surprisingly, this analysis revealed that acute exposure to solvent vapors at concentrations below those associated with long-term effects appears to increase the risk of a fatal automobile accident.
Usage notesEdit
- The word automobile usually implies a car with seating for perhaps four or five passengers.
- A vehicle with more than six or seven seats is usually described as a limousine, minivan, van, SUV, bus, etc.
SynonymsEdit
- (passenger vehicle): auto, car, (British) motor, (British) motorcar
- See also Thesaurus:automobile
Coordinate termsEdit
- truck, van, bus, SUV, minivan, station wagon, sedan, coupe, convertible, sports car, racecar; wagon, cart, trailer, tractor; airplane, boat, ship
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
- → Alabama: mobìlika
- → Hawaiian: ʻokomopila
- → Unami: hatëmopil
TranslationsEdit
passenger vehicle
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VerbEdit
automobile (third-person singular simple present automobiles, present participle automobiling, simple past and past participle automobiled)
- (intransitive, dated) To travel by automobile.
- 1909, “"How Can He Do It?"”, in Notions and Fancy Goods, volume 43, page 30:
- The misguided youngsters are yachting, attending the races, playing the "stage Johnny," automobiling, playing poker for high stakes, overliving at home, on expensive shopping tours, attending box parties to the theatre, visiting high-priced restaurants, etc., etc.
TranslationsEdit
AdjectiveEdit
automobile (not comparable)
- Self-moving; self-propelled.
- 1919, Nikola Tesla, My Inventions
- As early as 1898 I proposed to representatives of a large manufacturing concern the construction and public exhibition of an automobile carriage which, left to itself, would perform a great variety of operations involving something akin to judgment.
- Synonym: autokinetic
- 1919, Nikola Tesla, My Inventions
TranslationsEdit
FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
auto- + mobile, as the vehicle is powered by an engine rather than pulled by horses.
PronunciationEdit
- IPA(key): /o.tɔ.mɔ.bil/, /ɔ.tɔ.mɔ.bil/
Audio (France, Paris) (file) - Homophone: automobiles
- Hyphenation: au‧to‧mo‧bile
AdjectiveEdit
automobile (plural automobiles)
NounEdit
automobile f (plural automobiles)
- automobile
- L’automobile est un moyen de déplacement pratique à la campagne, mais cher et polluant.
- The automobile is a practical means of travel in the countryside, but it's expensive and polluting.
SynonymsEdit
- (informal) auto
- (France, informal) bagnole
- (France, informal) caisse
- (Quebec, Louisiana) char
- (France, informal) tire
- voiture
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
- → Dutch: automobiel
- → English: automobile
- → German: Automobil
- → Russian: автомоби́ль (avtomobílʹ)
- → Armenian: ավտոմոբիլ (avtomobil)
- → Azerbaijani: avtomobil
- → Georgian: ავტომობილი (avṭomobili)
- → Kazakh: автомобиль (avtomobil)
- → Kyrgyz: автомобиль (avtomobilʹ)
- → Turkmen: awtomobil
- → Uyghur: ئاپتوموبىل (aptomobil)
- → Uzbek: avtomobil
Further readingEdit
- “automobile”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
ItalianEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
automobile f (plural automobili)