taxies
|tax-ies|
🇺🇸
/ˈtæk.siz/
🇬🇧
/ˈtæk.siːz/
(taxi)
hired vehicle / move on ground
Etymology
'taxi' (and forms such as 'taxies') originates from early 20th-century English 'taxi', a shortening of 'taxicab' — itself formed from 'taximeter' + 'cab'. 'taximeter' came into English from French 'taximètre', where 'taxe' meant a 'charge' or 'fee' and '-meter' meant 'measuring device'.
'taxi' developed as a clipped form of 'taxicab' (English), which derived from French 'taximètre' (via 'taximeter') + 'cab' (from 'cabriolet'). Over time the compound was shortened to 'taxicab' and then to 'taxi', with plural and verb forms like 'taxies' arising in English usage.
Initially related to the notion of a measured charge (the 'taximeter' that assessed fares); over time it came to denote the vehicle that carries passengers for such a measured fare (a hired car).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'taxi' — cars licensed to carry passengers in return for payment.
Several taxies were waiting outside the station.
Synonyms
Verb 1
third-person singular present form of 'taxi' — to drive as a taxi or (of an aircraft) to move along the ground under its own power.
The plane taxies to the gate before passengers disembark.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/26 00:53