funicular

[ fyoo-nik-yuh-ler ]

/ fyuˈnɪk yə lər /

Save This Word!

adjective

of or relating to a rope or cord, or its tension.

worked by a rope or the like.

noun

funicular railway.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of funicular

1655–65; <Latin fūnicul(us) (see funiculus) + -ar¹

Words nearby funicular

fungous, fungus, fungus gnat, fun house, funicle, funicular, funicular railway, funiculate, funiculus, funk, funked

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use funicular in a sentence

What was the thinking behind using models for the funicular that runs up to the hotel—and for the first shots of the hotel itself?
The Look of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’|Andrew Romano|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For longer bridges the funicular polygon affords a method of determining maximum bending moments which is perhaps more convenient.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
Within the rail was the funicular terminal, a souvenir stand, a tiny post office, and a large open-air restaurant.
The Five Arrows|Allan Chase
He found a taxi parked near the Cathedral, and they rode to the funicular railway terminal at the base of Monte Azul.
The Five Arrows|Allan Chase

At the end of the funicular there was still more hill to climb, and one could either do it afoot or be carried up in a hammock.
The Ship Dwellers|Albert Bigelow Paine
A little below that was the terminal station of the funicular railway from Montreux.
The Card, A Story Of Adventure In The Five Towns|Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for funicular

funicular

/ (fjuːˈnɪkjʊlə) /

noun

Also called: funicular railway a railway up the side of a mountain, consisting of a counterbalanced car sat either end of a cable passing round a driving wheel at the summit

adjective

relating to or operated by a rope, cable, etc

of or relating to a funicle

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