phaeton en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈfeɪ.ətən/ merged vowel
- /ˈfeɪ.ɪtən/ non-merged vowel
- /ˈfeɪtən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Borrowed from French phaéton.
Meanings
-
a light four-wheeled open carriage drawn by four horses
It had been settled that Lorraine was to drive Emily in his phaeton. It is true the sun was full in her eyes, the wind high, and the dust, which is just mud in high spirits, flew round them in clouds; but Emily found her ride delightful.
1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXI, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 260:...I saw the girls of Nob Hill on their way to school, kicking pebbles at each other and laughing; I saw young ladies coming home past curfew in their beaus' phaetons...
2004, Andrew Sean Greer, The Confessions of Max Tivoli, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, page 43:
- a large open touring motorcar with a folding top
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| phæton | alternative | lexicographic | |
| phaetons | Number=Plur | lexicographic |