What does autocar mean?
An autocar is a motor vehicle designed to carry passengers — in essence, an early word for the modern car. The term arose in the closing decades of the nineteenth century, when self-propelled road vehicles were still a novelty, and it was used especially in Britain during the pioneering era of motoring around the turn of the twentieth century. As the automobile became commonplace, shorter terms such as 'car' and 'motorcar' displaced it, so 'autocar' now sounds quaint or antiquated. Its most visible survival is as the name of Autocar, the long-running British motoring magazine founded in 1895, which claims to be the world's oldest car publication. Encountering 'autocar' today usually signals either historical writing about the dawn of motoring or affectionate period flavor. For readers interested in the history of transport, the word offers a small window into the era when horseless carriages were marvels rather than mundane appliances.
nounA motor vehicle that carries passengers; an early term for what is now called a car or automobile.
- A motor vehicle carrying passengers; an early or chiefly British term for a car.
"The family's new autocar drew curious onlookers as it rattled down the lane."
"By 1900 the village had seen only one autocar, and its arrival caused quite a stir."
"He restored a veteran autocar and entered it in the London-to-Brighton run."
Regular plural; simply add -s.
"In the 1900s, autocars were rare enough to attract crowds wherever they went."
Before 'car' caught on, early British motorists proudly called their machines 'autocars' — a word that has now rolled into the history books.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of autocar
'Autocar' combines the Greek-derived prefix 'auto-', meaning 'self', with 'car', ultimately from Latin 'carrus' (a wheeled vehicle), via French. The word emerged in the late nineteenth century to describe self-moving vehicles at a time when 'automobile' — built from Greek 'autos' plus French 'mobile' — was also competing for acceptance. English adopted several parallel coinages of the period, including 'autocycle' and 'automobile', all sharing the same 'auto-' root that appears in words like 'autograph' and 'autonomous'.
How autocar is actually used
'Autocar' is largely obsolete in everyday speech today, surviving mainly in the name of the motoring magazine Autocar and in discussions of very early motoring history. It sounds distinctly old-fashioned to modern ears.
Easily confused with autocar
An autocar is a single self-propelled passenger vehicle, while a caravan is a trailer towed behind such a vehicle.
An autocar is motor-powered, whereas a cart is typically drawn by animals or pushed by hand.