wagon

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈwæɡən/; /ˈweɪɡən/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle Dutch wagen (“wagon, cart”),^[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *wagnaz,^[2] which also gave Old English wæġn, the source of wain, Old Norse vagn, Old High German wagan and German Wagen,^[2][3] from Proto-Indo-European *woǵʰ-no-, from the root *weǵʰ- (“to go, transport in a vehicle”), also the source of Latin vehiculum.^[2] It is thus related to way.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A four-wheeled vehicle for carrying heavy loads: before 1475 in Barnhart (waggin),^[3] the late 15th century in Etymonline and the New Oxford;^[2][4] the OED's first quotation is from 1523.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The word came in through contact with the Low Countries, by Flemish immigration, Dutch trade or the Continental wars, and largely displaced the native cognate wain.^[2] The spelling varied between -g- and -gg- until American English settled on wagon, while waggon stayed common in Britain.^[2] From the 16th century it also meant a carriage for people, and a war chariot;^[5] the constellation Charles's Wain was called the Wagon from about 1511.^[5] A wagon train is from 1810.^[2] On the wagon, abstaining from alcohol, is attested by 1904, originally on the water cart.^[2]

Timeline

• before 1475 – waggin, a four-wheeled cart.^[3]
• c. 1511 – the Wagon, Charles's Wain.^[5]
• 1615 – a covered vehicle carrying goods and passengers.^[5]
• 1810 – wagon train.^[2]
• 1904 – on the wagon.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A four-wheeled vehicle, usually drawn by horses or a tractor, for carrying heavy loads.
2. (British) A railway freight truck, especially an open one.
3. (US) A child's low four-wheeled cart pulled by a handle.
4. A station wagon, or a light delivery vehicle.

Verb

1. To carry or travel by wagon.

Word family

• wagonless

Related words

• wain
• way
• vehicle
• convey
• weigh

Usage notes

Waggon is the usual British variant spelling;^[2][6] American English uses wagon.^[2][6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins