hansom
Americannoun
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a low-hung, two-wheeled, covered vehicle drawn by one horse, for two passengers, with the driver being mounted on an elevated seat behind and the reins running over the roof.
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any similar horse-drawn vehicle.
noun
Etymology
Origin of hansom
1850–55; named after J. A. Hansom (1803–82), English architect who designed it
Explanation
A hansom is an old-fashioned carriage that's pulled by a horse. There are still some cities where you can find a hansom to ride in for fun, but it's no longer the fastest way to get where you're going. In the 1830s, the hansom, also called a hansom cab, was the latest way to get get around in busy cities. It was smaller than conventional horse-drawn carriages, which had four wheels and at least two horses. With only two wheels and a low center of gravity, hansoms were safe, light and agile, and could be pulled by just one horse. A man named Joseph Hansom patented what he dubbed the "Hansom safety cab" in 1834.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During the same period, Hansom cabs, small, swift horse-drawn two-wheelers that had been ubiquitous in the capital since the 1830s, virtually disappeared.
From The Guardian • Apr. 27, 2016
Andrew's colleague, cardiologist Simon Hansom believes security has to be a priority.
From BBC • Dec. 3, 2015
Under the watchful eye of Simon Hansom, a cardiologist at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, a patient is being fitted with the two wires that will connect the pacemaker to their heart.
From BBC • Dec. 3, 2015
"The few remaining untouched wilderness areas of the UK are our equivalents of the Kalahari Desert, or the Amazonian rainforest," says Dr Jim Hansom, Geomorphologist at the University of Glasgow.
From BBC • Jul. 19, 2012
Rupert Hansom found another jockey in Crosby, a very fair rider.
From Fast as the Wind A Novel by Gould, Nat
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
