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cabriolet

 - 3 dictionary results

cab⋅ri⋅o⋅let

[kab-ree-uh-ley]
–noun
1. a light, two-wheeled, one-horse carriage with a folding top, capable of seating two persons.
2. an automobile resembling a coupe but with a folding top.

Origin:
1760–70; < F: lit., little caper; so called from its light movement. See cabriole, -et
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cab·ri·o·let   (kāb'rē-ə-lā')   
n.  
  1. A two-wheeled, one-horse carriage that has two seats and a folding top.

  2. An automobile with a folding top; a convertible coupe.


[French, diminutive of cabriole, caper, from obsolete capriole, from Italian capriola, from capriolo, roebuck, from Latin capreolus, masculine diminutive of caprea, roe deer, from caper, he-goat.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

cabriolet

originally a two-wheeled, doorless, hooded, one-horse carriage, first used in 18th-century France and often let out for hire. The name is thought to derive from cabriole (French: "caper") because of the vehicle's light, bounding motion. Later cabriolets were built with four wheels. When used as hacks, cabriolets often had a jump seat or a side seat for the driver. Later, the word cabriolet, shortened to "cab," was used for any carriage for hire, as a hackney cab.

Learn more about cabriolet with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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