gondola

[ gon-dl-uh or, especially for 1, gon-doh-luh ]

/ ˈgɒn dl ə or, especially for 1, gɒnˈdoʊ lə /

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noun

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.

a passenger compartment suspended beneath a balloon or airship.Compare car¹ (def. 4).

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

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

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

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

a chair or couch having a gondola back.

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Origin of gondola

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

Words nearby gondola

Goncharov, Goncourt, Gond, Gondar, Gondi, gondola, gondola back, gondoletta, gondolier, Gondomar, Gondwana

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

How to use gondola in a sentence

Rob Kingwill and Emilé Zynobia, professional snowboarders based out of Jackson, stepped off the gondola into the cold Wyoming air, about 4,000 feet above the valley floor.
What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Says About the Country|Lucas Isakowitz|February 1, 2021|Time
At the resort, the socially distanced lines for the gondola were dangerously compressing.
What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Says About the Country|Lucas Isakowitz|February 1, 2021|Time
There was even an idea for aerial transport system – or a gondola – that would cross the border from San Ysidro to Tijuana dating back to 1959, according to the Journal of San Diego History.
What a Locally Designed Border Might Look Like|Maya Srikrishnan|December 15, 2020|Voice of San Diego
While you won’t be able to pile into a gondola with randos or share nachos at the lodge, you’ll still be able to make the most of this season.
15 Ways to Play in the Snow This Year|Megan Michelson|November 26, 2020|Outside Online

In place of crowded après-ski bars and packed gondolas, you’ll see extra-long, spaced-apart lift lines, skiers in full-face coverings, and take-out lunches eaten outside.
What This Ski Season Will Look Like|Megan Michelson|October 6, 2020|Outside Online
That evening in the gondola, with one old and two newer friends, is marked with a white stone in my recollection.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
A kind of summer palace illuminated by the rays of the rising Sun opened beneath our aerial gondola.
Urania|Camille Flammarion
We came out at a gate which opened upon the lake, and there stood a gondola with two under jailers belonging to San Michele.
My Ten Years' Imprisonment|Silvio Pellico
These, too, were shut and locked, and when I ducked under the nearest gondola I realized that I was trapped.
The Wreckers|Francis Lynde
Further opposition was hopeless, so I returned disconsolate to my gondola, to await the issue.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 440|Various

British Dictionary definitions for gondola

gondola

/ (ˈɡɒndələ) /

noun

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

a car or cabin suspended from an airship or balloon
a moving cabin suspended from a cable across a valley, etc

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

US and Canadian a low open flat-bottomed railway goods wagon

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

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

Word Origin for gondola

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

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

gondola

Origin of gondola

Words nearby gondola

Words related to gondola

How to use gondola in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gondola

Word Origin for gondola