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/
• (Indic) IPA^(key): /ˌɔ.ʈɵ.mɵˌbajl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: au‧to‧mo‧bile

automobile (plural automobiles)

2. (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.

   Synonyms: car, auto, motorcar (dated in some dialects), motor (Britain); see also Thesaurus:automobile

   Hypernyms: motor vehicle < vehicle

   Hyponyms: station wagon, sedan, coupe, convertible; sports car, racecar, muscle car

   Meronym: see list of auto parts

   Coordinate terms: truck, van, bus, coach, SUV, minivan; wagon, cart, trailer, tractor; aircraft, airplane, boat, ship, vessel

   • 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 two to six occupants. Although the word etymonically might seem like it should be synonymous with motor vehicle, idiomatically it almost always means a certain type of such vehicle.
• 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.

• 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)

2. 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)

• Audio (France (Paris)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

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• 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.

   • 1913, Guillaume Apollinaire, “Zone”, in Alcools, Nouvelle Revue Française:

     Ici même les automobiles ont l’air d’être anciennes / La religion seule est restée toute neuve la religion / Est restée simple comme les hangars de Port-Aviation

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• (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
    • → Kven: piili
  • → Norwegian Nynorsk: bil
  • → Swedish: bil
• → Dutch: automobiel
• → English: automobile
• → German: Automobil
• → Moroccan Arabic: طمبيل (ṭumubīl)
• → Russian: автомоби́ль (avtomobílʹ)
  • → Armenian: ավտոմոբիլ (avtomobil)
  • → Azerbaijani: avtomobil
  • → Crimean Tatar: 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