automobile

From French automobile, from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”) + French mobile (“moving”), from Latin mōbilis (“movable”), equivalent to auto- (“self”) +‎ mobile.

• (UK, General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː.tə.məˌbiːl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː.tə.məˌbil/, /ˌɔː.tə.məˈbil/, /ˌɔː.təˈmoʊ.bil/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑː.tə.məˌbil/, /ˈɑː.tə.məˈbil/, /ˈɑː.təˈmoʊ.bil/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: au‧to‧mo‧bile

automobile (plural automobiles)

1. (US, Canada, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand) A type of motor vehicle designed to move on the ground under its own stored power and intended to carry a driver, a small number of additional passengers, and a very limited amount of other load. A car or motorcar.
   • 2013 July-August, Philip J. Bushnell, “Solvents, Ethanol, Car Crashes & Tolerance”, in American Scientist:

     Surprisingly, this analysis revealed that acute exposure to solvent vapors at concentrations below those associated with long-term effects appears to increase the risk of a fatal automobile accident.

• The word automobile usually implies a car with seating for perhaps up to four or five passengers.
• A vehicle with more than six or seven seats is usually called a limousine, minivan, van, SUV, bus, etc.
• A vehicle devoted mainly to cargo is usually called a lorry, truck, or van.

• (passenger vehicle): auto, car, (British) motor, (British) motorcar
• See also Thesaurus:automobile

• See list of auto parts

• truck, van, bus, SUV, minivan, station wagon, sedan, coupe, convertible, sports car, racecar; wagon, cart, trailer, tractor; airplane, boat, ship

• automatic
• automotive

• → Alabama: mobìlika
• → Hawaiian: ʻokomopila
• → Unami: hatëmopil

automobile (third-person singular simple present automobiles, present participle automobiling, simple past and past participle automobiled)

1. (intransitive, dated) To travel by automobile.
   • 1909, “"How Can He Do It?"”, in Notions and Fancy Goods, volume 43, page 30:

     The misguided youngsters are yachting, attending the races, playing the "stage Johnny," automobiling, playing poker for high stakes, overliving at home, on expensive shopping tours, attending box parties to the theatre, visiting high-priced restaurants, etc., etc.

automobile (not comparable)

1. Self-moving; self-propelled.

   Synonym: autokinetic

   • 1919, Nikola Tesla, My Inventions:

     As early as 1898 I proposed to representatives of a large manufacturing concern the construction and public exhibition of an automobile carriage which, left to itself, would perform a great variety of operations involving something akin to judgment.

From auto- +‎ mobile, as the vehicle is powered by an engine rather than pulled by horses.

• IPA^(key): /o.tɔ.mɔ.bil/, /ɔ.tɔ.mɔ.bil/

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

• Homophone: automobiles
• Hyphenation: au‧to‧mo‧bile

automobile (plural automobiles)

1. automotive

automobile f (plural automobiles)

1. automobile

   L’automobile est un moyen de déplacement pratique à la campagne, mais cher et polluant.

   The automobile is a practical means of travel in the countryside, but it's expensive and polluting.

• (informal) auto
• (France, informal) bagnole
• (France, informal) caisse
• (Quebec, Louisiana) char
• (France, informal) tire
• voiture

• automobilisable
• automobilisme
• automobiliste
• canot automobile

• → Danish: automobil, bil
  • → Faroese: bilur
  • → Greenlandic: biili
  • → Icelandic: bíll
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: bil
  • → Norwegian Nynorsk: bil
  • → Swedish: bil
• → Dutch: automobiel
• → English: automobile
• → German: Automobil
• → Moroccan Arabic: طمبيل (ṭumubīl)
• → Russian: автомоби́ль (avtomobílʹ)
  • → Armenian: ավտոմոբիլ (avtomobil)
  • → Azerbaijani: avtomobil
  • → Georgian: ავტომობილი (avṭomobili)
  • → Ingrian: automobili
  • → Kazakh: автомобиль (avtomobil)
  • → Kyrgyz: автомобиль (avtomobil)
  • → Turkmen: awtomobil
  • → Uyghur: ئاپتوموبىل (aptomobil)
  • → Uzbek: avtomobil

• “automobile”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

From auto- +‎ mobile.

• IPA^(key): /aw.toˈmɔ.bi.le/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔbile
• Hyphenation: au‧to‧mò‧bi‧le

automobile f (plural automobili)

1. automobile

   Synonyms: auto, macchina, vettura