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

The Los Angeles City Council challenged Mayor Karen Bass last week, overwhelmingly passing a resolution urging Metro to kill the proposed Dodger Stadium gondola and urging Bass to lend her support.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I surely have. It’s a magnificent vessel, much larger than this one. Looks a bit like a gondola! It’s nicely camouflaged, too.”

Read more on Literature

Frank McCourt’s Dodger Stadium gondola plan might help fans get to the stadium faster, but why would he potentially undermine his parking lot revenue?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I’m going to be here whether the gondola is here or not,” he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In Monet’s views of the Palazzo Ducale seen from a gondola, the pale wall of the building and its block of rosy reflection threaten to become an abstraction.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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