DictionaryRoot: tram
Middle Flemish

tram

beam, barrow handle

2 / 2
A modern electric tram on rails embedded in a city street, with its overhead power connection and a curbside passenger stop clearly visible.
noun

tram

TRAM/træm/

A vehicle that runs on rails to carry passengers or materials.

Etymology

The probable ancestor meant a beam or barrow handle, but the later development is poorly documented. Uses for mining wagons and rail tracks preceded the street-vehicle sense, shortened from tram-car.

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