gondola Hear it!

gondola definition

gon·dola (gändō lə, -də-; often gän dōlə, gən-)

noun

  1. a long, narrow boat for a few passengers used on the canals of Venice, having a high, pointed prow and stern and propelled by a single long oar at the stern
  2. ☆ a flat-bottomed river barge
  3. ☆ a railroad freight car with no top and, often, with low sides
  4. ☆ a cabin suspended under an airship or balloon, for holding the motors, instruments, passengers, etc.
  5. ☆ a car suspended from and moved along a cable, for holding passengers

Etymology: It (Venetian) < Rhaeto-Romanic (dial.) gondolá, to rock

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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