Taxi Is Short for Taximeter Cab
Taxis are cars hired with a driver. The word is a double shortening, and taxis also names a biological movement.
Taxis are cars that carry passengers for a fare, the plural of *taxi*. The word is a shortening of a shortening: *taximeter cabriolet* became *taxicab*, then *taxi*. The taximeter measured the fare, from French *taxe*, a charge, plus *mètre*; the cabriolet was a light carriage. Both halves were abandoned. In biology, *taxis* is a separate Greek word meaning arrangement, used for an organism's movement toward or away from a stimulus, as in *phototaxis*.
- Hired cars. *Two taxis waiting.*
- Taxicab — the fuller form. *A taxicab.*
- Taximeter — the fare device. *A taximeter.*
- To move on the ground (aircraft). *The plane taxied.*
- Taxis — biological movement. *Phototaxis.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | taxi | A taxi. |
| Plural | taxis | Taxis. |
| Full form | taxicab | A taxicab. |
| Verb | taxi | The plane taxied. |
| Greek | taxis | Arrangement. |
- Taxis queued outside the station.Transport.
- The aircraft taxied to the gate.Aviation.
- Phototaxis means moving toward light.Biology.
Words shortened twice
- Taxi — from taximeter cabriolet
- Cab — the other half of the same phrase
- Bus — from omnibus, itself Latin for *for all*
- Fridge — from refrigerator, with a new spelling
- Flu — from influenza, which meant an astrological influence
Short for *taxicab*, itself short for *taximeter cabriolet*, from French *taxe*, a charge, and Greek *metron*, a measure.
What does taxi actually stand for?
Taximeter cabriolet: a light carriage fitted with a device that measured the fare.
What is taxis in biology?
An organism's directed movement toward or away from a stimulus, as in phototaxis toward light.