taxi

Definitions

Short for taximeter cab: a cab fitted with a taximeter (tax 'charge' + meter 'measure'), the device that charges you by distance. The plane sense is unrelated in feel but came from the same word — early aviators jokingly said a plane 'taxis' across the ground like a slow cab before takeoff.

Why It Means This

The hidden history: taxi isn't a 'taxing' word at all on the surface, but it shortens taximeter cab. The taximeter — literally a 'charge-measurer' — was the gadget that made fares fair, so the whole car got named after its meter. The verb 'to taxi (an aircraft)' borrowed the image of a cab rolling slowly along the ground.

Common Collocations

• 1.hail a taxi拦出租车
• 2.taxi driver出租车司机
• 3.taxi fare出租车费
• 4.call a taxi叫出租车

Example Sentences

• 1.

  We were late, so we grabbed a taxi to the airport.

• 2.

  The plane taxied to the runway and waited for clearance.

• 3.

  It's hard to hail a taxi in the rain.