cabriolet

[kab-ree-uh-ley]

noun

a light, two-wheeled, one-horse carriage with a folding top, capable of seating two persons.

an automobile resembling a coupe but with a folding top.

Nearby words

Origin of cabriolet

1760–70; < French: literally, little caper; so called from its light movement. See cabriole, -et

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cabriolet

(A more upscale version, the cabriolet, or “cab,” was later imported from France).
Great Cities are Born Filthy|Will Doig|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The fruiterer's daughter was putting into the cabriolet a parcel belonging to Georges at the moment of his arrest.
Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, Complete|Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne
At this moment two persons, who had come from Paris in a cabriolet, alighted at the door of the shop.
The Mysteries of Paris, Volume 1 of 6|Eugne Sue
A seedy-looking 248 cabriolet and horse to match are abominations not to be endured.
Coaching, with Anecdotes of the Road|William Pitt Lennox

We will hire a cabriolet, and keep it, so that we can return when we choose.
My Neighbor Raymond (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XI)|Charles Paul de Kock
Can I earn a handsome livelihood out of all this—wear kid gloves, and set up a cabriolet?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 64, No. 398, December 1848|Various

British Dictionary definitions for cabriolet

cabriolet

noun

a small two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with two seats and a folding hood

a former name for a drophead coupé

Word Origin for cabriolet

C18: from French, literally: a little skip, from cabriole, from Latin capreolus wild goat, from caper goat; referring to the lightness of movement

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

Word Origin and History for cabriolet

cabriolet

"light two-wheeled chaise," 1766, from French cabriolet (18c.), derivative of cabriole (see cab). So called from its light, leaping motion.