tram

1
[ tram ]
See synonyms for tram on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. British. a streetcar.

  1. Also called tram·car [tram-kahr]. /ˈtræmˌkɑr/. a truck or car on rails for carrying loads in a mine.

  2. the vehicle or cage of an overhead carrier.

verb (used with or without object),trammed, tram·ming.
  1. to convey or travel by tram.

Origin of tram

1
First recorded in 1490–1500; Middle English tram, tram(me) “mechanical device, astronomical instrument, siege tower”); 1820–30 for def. 2; originally shafts of a barrow or cart, rails for carts (in mines); perhaps from Middle Dutch trame “beam”

Other words from tram

  • tramless, adjective

Other definitions for tram (2 of 3)

tram2
[ tram ]

verb (used with object),trammed, tram·ming.
  1. Machinery. to adjust (something) correctly.

Origin of tram

2
First recorded in 1880–85; short for trammel

Other definitions for tram (3 of 3)

tram3
[ tram ]

noun
  1. silk that has been slightly or loosely twisted, used weftwise in weaving silk fabrics.

Origin of tram

3
First recorded in 1670–80; from French trame “woof, weft, tram,” from Latin trāma “warp,” from trahere “to draw, drag”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tram in a sentence

  • Then, at last, Dorine realized that she was not fit to be seen, after trotting and tramming the whole afternoon in the rain.

    Small Souls | Louis Couperus
  • The person who does this duty is called a hurrier: the process itself is termed tramming; and the cart is denominated a skip.

    The Mysteries of London, v. 1/4 | George W. M. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for tram (1 of 3)

tram1

/ (træm) /


noun
  1. Also called: tramcar an electrically driven public transport vehicle that runs on rails let into the surface of the road, power usually being taken from an overhead wire: US and Canadian names: streetcar, trolley car

  2. a small vehicle on rails for carrying loads in a mine; tub

Origin of tram

1
C16 (in the sense: shaft of a cart): probably from Low German traam beam; compare Old Norse thrömr, Middle Dutch traem beam, tooth of a rake

Derived forms of tram

  • tramless, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for tram (2 of 3)

tram2

/ (træm) /


noun
  1. machinery a fine adjustment that ensures correct function or alignment

verbtrams, tramming or trammed
  1. (tr) to adjust (a mechanism) to a fine degree of accuracy

Origin of tram

2
C19: short for trammel

British Dictionary definitions for tram (3 of 3)

tram3

/ (træm) /


noun
  1. (in weaving) a weft yarn of two or more twisted strands of silk

Origin of tram

3
C17: from French trame, from Latin trāma; related to Latin trāns across, trāmes footpath

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012