taxi
/ˈtæksi/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.19 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The movement of an aircraft across an airport's surface under its own power; a phase of aircraft operation involving this movement.
Countable; Uncountable
verb
To move an aircraft on the ground under its own power.
Example Sentences
- "I cabbed a package downtown in my father's taxi."
- ""Taxi," he called. And when one pulled up to the curb with screeching brakes he ordered, "The nearest restaurant.""
- "[Sobbing uncontrollably] I thought I could make it work between us because you looked a bit like a man. TAXI!"
- "Capt. Dawes and Bellairs were out with the Deperdussin taxi, and also with the brevet machine, rolling."
- "... some similar untidy pile of what had been a school biplane is recorded to have acted the part of red rag to the bull of a "taxi" monoplane , which despite its driver's efforts insisted on charging and trampling on the battered fragments."
- "Mr. E. B. Bauman (new pupil) joined school and had first lesson on No. 2 taxi."
Etymology
Shortened from taximeter cab, taximeter (“automatic meter that records distance and fare”) from French taximètre, from German Taxameter (whence also English taxameter), coined from Medieval Latin taxa (“tax, charge”). More at tax, task. The aviation sense originally derived from a slang term for training aircraft used for practicing ground operations, which were said to drive around the airfield like a taxicab, and subsequently applied to all aircraft ground movements.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈtæksi/
- British English: /ˈtæksi/