/ ˈtæksi; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
(also cab , taxi·cab ) a car with a driver that you pay to take you somewhere. Taxis usually have meters which show how much money you have to pay :
a taxi driver / ride
We'd better take a taxi .
I came home by taxi .
to order / hail / call a taxi
2.
in some places in Africa, a small bus with a driver that you pay to take you somewhere. Taxis usually have fixed routes and stop wherever passengers need to get on or off.
—see also dada-dala , matatu
■ verb
( taxi·ing , tax·ied , tax·ied ) [ v ] ( of a plane ) to move slowly along the ground before taking off or after landing
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WORD ORIGIN
early 20th cent.: abbreviation of taxi-cab or taximeter cab , from French taximètre , from taxe tariff, from the verb taxer to tax + -mètre (instrument) measuring.