Taxi Is Short for a Fare-Measuring Device
A taxi carries passengers for a fare. The word names the meter, not the vehicle.
A taxi is a car hired with a driver for a single journey. The word is shortened from *taximeter cab*: the *taximeter* was the device that calculated the fare, from French *taxe*, a charge, and Greek *metron*, a measure. *Cab* is itself short for *cabriolet*, a light horse carriage. The full name was therefore a fare-measuring light carriage. *Taxi* also means an aircraft moving on the ground, a sense from 1911 which probably came from the comparison with a taxi cab pottering about.
- A hired car. *Call a taxi.*
- To move on the ground. *The plane taxied.*
- Taximeter — the fare device. *A taximeter.*
- Cab — from cabriolet. *A cab.*
- Greek — *metron*, a measure. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | taxi | A taxi. |
| Plural | taxis | Taxis. |
| Verb | taxi | Taxiing. |
| Full form | taximeter | A taximeter. |
| Related | cab | A cab. |
- She hailed a taxi.Transport.
- The aircraft taxied out.Aviation.
- Cab is short for cabriolet.Etymology.
Shortened transport words
- Taxi — from taximeter cab
- Cab — from cabriolet
- Bus — from omnibus, for everyone
- Plane — from aeroplane
- Bike — from bicycle
Shortened from *taximeter cab*, from French *taxe*, a charge, and Greek *metron*, a measure.
What does taxi actually name?
The taximeter, the device that calculated the fare, rather than the vehicle itself.
Why does an aircraft taxi?
The sense dates from 1911, probably by comparison with a taxi cab moving slowly about on the ground.