monorail — A railway system in which the track consists of a single rail, typically elevated, with trains balanced on or suspended from it.
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: A railway system in which the track consists of a single rail, typically elevated, with trains balanced on or suspended from it.
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈmɑːnəreɪl/
Example Sentences
- We took the monorail to get from the airport to the hotel in just ten minutes.
- My little brother screamed the whole ride because he thought the monorail would fall off its single track like a tightrope walker losing balance.
- The city plans to build a new monorail to reduce traffic congestion downtown.
monorail
NOUN[/ˈmɑːnəreɪl/]
A railway system in which the track consists of a single rail, typically elevated, with trains balanced on or suspended from it.
The monorail glides silently above the busy city streets below.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Monorail is a neologism coined in the early 1900s to distinguish innovative single-rail transit systems from conventional dual-rail railways. It combines the Greek prefix 'mono-' (one) with the English noun 'rail' (track), literally meaning 'a railway using a single track.' The term gained wider currency as such systems were adopted in amusement parks, airports, and urban transit networks, acquiring a distinctly futuristic connotation.
Breakdown
mono- (Greek: one) + rail (English: track or rail line) = a railway system operating on a single track, contrasting with traditional dual-rail configurations.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“We took the monorail to get from the airport to the hotel in just ten minutes.”
“My little brother screamed the whole ride because he thought the monorail would fall off its single track like a tightrope walker losing balance.”
“The city plans to build a new monorail to reduce traffic congestion downtown.”
“Disneyland's monorail looks so futuristic that tourists often mistake it for a spaceship on rails.”
📚Related Words
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