Tram May Come From a Word for a Wooden Beam
A tram is a rail vehicle running on street tracks. The word began in coal mining.
A tram is a passenger vehicle running on rails laid in a street. The word came from mining, where a *tram* was a wagon carrying coal along wooden rails underground, probably from a Low German word for a beam or baulk of timber. The rails themselves gave *tramway*, and passenger trams borrowed the whole arrangement. The persistent story that trams are named after Benjamin Outram, a tramway engineer, is false: the word is recorded well before his career.
- A street railway vehicle. *A city tram.*
- A mine wagon. *A coal tram.*
- Tramway. *A tramway.*
- Streetcar — the American word. *A streetcar.*
- Low German — a beam. *The likely root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tram | A tram. |
| Plural | trams | Trams. |
| Compound | tramway | A tramway. |
| Compound | tramline | A tramline. |
| American | streetcar | A streetcar. |
- They took the tram.Transport.
- Trams began underground.History.
- The Outram story is false.Correction.
False eponym stories
- Tram — not from Benjamin Outram; the word predates him
- Crap — not from Thomas Crapper, though he made toilets
- Hooker — not from General Joseph Hooker; older than the Civil War
- Sideburns — genuinely from General Burnside
- Boycott — genuinely from Captain Charles Boycott
Probably from Low German *traam*, a beam or baulk, recorded in English mining from the 1500s.
Are trams named after Benjamin Outram?
No. The word is recorded in mining long before his career, and probably comes from a Low German word for a beam.
What was the first tram?
A wagon running on wooden rails underground in coal mines, long before passenger trams appeared in streets.