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DictionaryshayLight carriage
noun

shay

SHAY/ʃˈeɪ/

A light two-wheeled carriage with a folding top.

A horse pulls the shay along the quiet country road.

A lightweight two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with one horse and one bench, accurate two-wheel structure.
Etymology
shayFrenchchair

'Chair' supplied the name for a pleasure carriage, originally a two-wheeled vehicle drawn by one horse. Shay arose when English speakers mistook chaise for a plural.

In context

oldmoviegirl4:08
There are traces of age in the one horse shay, a general flavor of mild decay
Eddie Albert reads "The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay"

More examples

  • She folds down the shay's top to enjoy the sunshine.
  • The shay tilts as one of its two wheels hits a stone.
  • The museum displays two restored shays beside a larger carriage.

Forms

shay · shays

Similar words

chaise
Names the same light carriage, using the original borrowed form.
buggy
Usually has four wheels rather than the shay's two.