noun
gondola
An open-topped railway car used to carry bulk goods.
The train pulls a gondola loaded with scrap metal.
Etymology
The railway car borrows the boat’s name through its open, elongated container shape. It carries loose bulk goods within raised sides, without a roof.
More examples
- Workers load gravel into the gondola from above.
- Three empty gondolas wait on the siding.
- A crane lifts steel beams out of the gondola.
Forms
gondola · gondolas
Similar words
- freight car
- A broader term that also includes enclosed railway cars.
- hopper
- A bulk freight car with sloping sides and bottom discharge doors.