Why are taxis also called "cabs"?

zbeckabee

Taxicab, short forms taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for single passenger or small group of passengers, typically for non-shared ride. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_cab Jun 14 06, 3:41 PM

Avin Itoffski

Cab is a shortening of cabriolet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansom_cab Jun 14 06, 4:43 PM

Gnomon

Cab is the original name. The meter is technically a taximeter, and cabs fitted with a meter were known as taximeter cabs, then taxicabs, then just taxis. But cabs is what they actually are. Jun 14 06, 5:24 PM

zbeckabee

And from our friends at The Old Farmer's Almanac: "Can you shed any light on the origins of the word taxicab?" "Actually, there are two word origins to consider--taxi and cab. Taxi comes from the French, taximetre, which became taximeter (tax per meter) in English. The mechanical meter on which to base fares came into usage about the end of the 19th century. Before automobile taxis, however, there were horsedrawn cabs. In the 1800s, the cabriolet was well-known as a lightweight, two-wheeled carriage that could be easily drawn by one horse. Cabriolet is a French derivative of a word for skipping lightness, or capering. France, Italy, and England all had cabriolets for hire in their bigger cities. These cabriolets were nicknamed cabs and their drivers were cabbys." http://www.almanac.com/question/oneanswer.php?questionnumber=12790 Jun 14 06, 6:25 PM

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