Where does “taxicab” come from?
Taxicab comes from English taxi, short for taximeter, from French taximètre, combining taxi- (from taxe, meaning tax or charge) and -mètre (meter), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European tag- meaning to touch or handle.
taxicab (English): a vehicle that passengers hire to take them...
Definitions
- a vehicle that passengers hire to take them...
Ancestry of “taxicab”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | taximeter cab | — |
| 2 | English | taximeter | A device installed in a taxicab that calculates... |
| 3 | French | taximètre | taximeter |
| 4 | French | taxamètre | — |