n.
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from trainer to draw, drag
Date: 14th century
1 : a part of a gown that trails behind the wearer
2 a : RETINUE , SUITE b : a moving file of persons, vehicles, or animals
3 : the vehicles, personnel, and sometimes animals that furnish supply, maintenance, and evacuation services to a combat unit
4 a : order of occurrence leading to some result ― often used in the phrase in train <this humiliating process had been in train for decades ― Paul Fussell> b : an orderly succession <a train of thought> c : accompanying or resultant circumstances : AFTERMATH <consequences the discovery will bring in its train >
5 : a line of combustible material laid to lead fire to a charge
6 : a series of moving mechanical parts (as gears) that transmit and modify motion <a gear train >
7 a : a connected line of railroad cars with or without a locomotive b : an automotive tractor with one or more trailer units
8 : a series of parts or elements that together constitute a system for producing a result and especially for carrying on a process (as of manufacture) automatically
– train · ful \ ' tr ā n- ˌ fu ̇ l \ noun