n.
Pronunciation: ' gän-d ə -l ə ( usual for sense 1 ), gän- ' d ō -
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian dialect (Venetian), probably from Middle Greek kontoura small vessel
Date: 1549
1 : a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high prow and stern used on the canals of Venice
2 : a heavy flat-bottomed boat used on New England rivers and on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers
3 : a railroad car with no top, a flat bottom, and fixed sides that is used chiefly for hauling heavy bulk commodities
4 a : an elongated car attached to the underside of an airship b : an often spherical airtight enclosure suspended from a balloon for carrying passengers or instruments c : an enclosed car suspended from a cable and used for transporting passengers especially : one used as a ski lift
gondola