vaporetto

American  

[vap-uh-ret-oh, vah-paw-ret-taw] / ˌvæp əˈrɛt oʊ, ˌvɑ pɔˈrɛt tɔ /

noun

plural

vaporettos,

plural

vaporetti

1. a motorboat used as a passenger bus along a canal in Venice, Italy.

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vaporetto British  

/ vapoˈrɛtto, ˌveɪpəˈrɛtəʊ /

noun

1. a steam-powered passenger boat, as used on the canals in Venice

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Etymology

Origin of vaporetto

1945–50; < Italian, equivalent to vapor ( e ) steamboat + -etto -et

Example Sentences

For a final, unforgettable Venetian vista, hop on a vaporetto bound for San Giorgio Maggiore, an island just east of Giudecca.

From New York Times • Jun. 12, 2014

To my relief we went there by vaporetto.

From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2011

It is claimed that some time before the film started, Phoenix arrived by vaporetto at the nearby Excelsior hotel.

From The Guardian • Sep. 17, 2010

Chattering gaily, the crowds trooped out of the ornate Excelsior Palace Hotel at the Lido last week, and hurried, depending on their circumstances, to their private launches or to the grimy vaporetto to Venice.

From Time Magazine Archive

Only two warmly dressed figures were waiting for the next vaporetto.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke