tramway
tramway Lexical Profile
tramway Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A system of tracks laid in a public street or road on which trams (streetcars) run, or the transit network operating on such tracks.
"The city council voted to expand the historic tramway to connect the downtown district with the main train station."
North American An overhead cable railway system in which passenger cabins or freight cars are suspended from a moving steel cable, often used in mountainous terrain.
"Visitors rode the aerial tramway to the summit of the mountain for a panoramic view of the valley."
A light railway track used in mines, quarries, or logging operations for transporting coal, ore, or timber in small wheeled wagons.
"Remnants of the 19th-century mining tramway can still be seen winding along the hillside near the old quarry."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 18th century as a compound of 'tram' (from Middle Low German 'traam', meaning a beam or bar of a barrow, originally referring to the wooden rails of coal-mine tracks) and 'way'.