gondola

[gon-dl-uh, gon-doh-luh]

noun

1. a long, narrow, flat-bottomed boat having a tall, ornamental stem and stern and sometimes a small cabin for passengers, rowed or poled by a single person who stands at the stern, facing forward: used especially on the canals of Venice, Italy.

2. a passenger compartment suspended beneath a balloon or airship.

3. an enclosed cabin suspended from an overhead cable, used to transport passengers up and down a ski slope or over scenic or treacherous terrain.

4. Also called gondola car. an open railroad freight car with low sides, for transporting bulk freight and manufactured goods.

5. a truck whose bed or trailer is a hopper, as for transporting mixed cement.

6. a freestanding structure for displaying merchandise in a retail establishment, as a supermarket.

7. a chair or couch having a gondola back.

gondola

/ ˈɡɒndələ /

noun

1. a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high ornamented stem and a platform at the stern where an oarsman stands and propels the boat by sculling or punting: traditionally used on the canals of Venice

2. 1. a car or cabin suspended from an airship or balloon

   2. a moving cabin suspended from a cable across a valley, etc

3. a flat-bottomed barge used on canals and rivers of the US as far west as the Mississippi

4. a low open flat-bottomed railway goods wagon

5. a set of island shelves in a self-service shop: used for displaying goods

6. a broadcasting booth built close to the roof over an ice-hockey arena, used by commentators

Word History and Origins

Origin of gondola¹

1540–50; < Italian < Venetian, probably < Medieval Greek kontoúra small boat used in coastal navigation, noun use of feminine of kóntouros short, clipped, literally, dock-tailed, equivalent to Late Greek kont ( ós ), kond ( ós ) short + Greek -ouros -tailed, adj. derivative of ourá tail

Word History and Origins

Origin of gondola¹

C16: from Italian (Venetian dialect), from Medieval Latin gondula, perhaps ultimately from Greek kondu drinking vessel

Example Sentences

These were the Alps as seen from a comfortable gondola taking in the view, and what a view, indeed.

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She performs it in a gondola, floating down the catwalk as she flees the chaos of the main stage for the sanctuary of her piano.

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Dodger Stadium might not be the first ballpark in Southern California served by a gondola, if that comes to pass.

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Frank McCourt will have to pursue his proposed Dodger Stadium gondola without legislation that would have limited potential legal challenges to the project.

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Like many projects that require approvals from the state and city, Frank McCourt’s proposed Dodger Stadium gondola project continues to hang in uncertainty.

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Related Words

• barge 
• canoe 
• catamaran 
• craft 
• dinghy 
• raft 
• sailboat 
• schooner 
• ship 
• yacht