Etymologically
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limousine

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌlɪməˈziːn/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French limousine,[2][3][4][5][6] a kind of cloak, named after Limousin, a region of central France.[2][3][4][5][6] The region's name comes from Latin Lemovicinus, from the Lemovices, a people who lived there.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A motor car with an enclosed passenger compartment and a driver's seat outside it, under a projecting roof (1902).[7][3][4][5][1]

Semantic evolution

In French limousine was a cloak of wool or goat's hair worn by carters (from 1836),[3] or by shepherds of the Limousin.[6] Around 1900 the name passed to a car, perhaps because its profile resembled the hood worn in the region.[4][3] Since the 1930s it has meant a luxury car in American English,[4][1] and from 1959 a vehicle carrying passengers to and from an airport.[4][1] Limousine liberal, a wealthy liberal, is from 1969.[7][4] The short form is limo.[1]

Timeline

  • 1836 – French, a carter's cloak.[3]
  • 1902 – a car with an enclosed passenger compartment.[7][3][4][5]
  • 1930s – a luxury car.[4][1]
  • 1959 – an airport vehicle.[4][1]
  • 1969 – limousine liberal.[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A large, luxurious car, usually driven by a chauffeur, often with a partition behind the driver.
  2. A large car, van or small bus carrying passengers to and from an airport.

Word family

  • limo
  • limousine liberal
  • chauffeur

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press