Meaning & use
funicular
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Meanings
nouncountable
A railway for steep hills in which two cars are joined by a cable, so that one goes up as the other comes down.
Grammar: Often shortened from funicular railway.
Patterns
- take the funicular
- a funicular to somewhere
We took the funicular up to the old castle instead of climbing the hill.
The funicular runs every ten minutes from the harbor to the top station.
A steep funicular connects the two parts of the city.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Worked by a cable, or relating to a railway in which cars are pulled by a cable.
Grammar: Usually appears in funicular railway.
Patterns
- a funicular railway
The funicular railway climbs at an angle of almost forty degrees.
A funicular system uses the weight of the descending car to help lift the other.
The funicular cars were painted bright red.
Word forms
| plural | funiculars |
|---|
Common combinations
- funicular railway
- The funicular railway carries visitors up the mountain.
- ride the funicular
- We rode the funicular to see the view over the lake.
- funicular station
- The funicular station is next to the main square.
- funicular car
- The funicular car was full of hikers.
- take the funicular
- You can take the funicular instead of walking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cable car
- A cable car hangs from overhead wires, but a funicular runs on rails along the ground.
- incline
- Incline, mostly American, refers to a steep railway and is less precise about the cable system.
- cliff railway
- Cliff railway is the common British name for a funicular on a cliff or seaside slope.
- tram
- A tram is a street vehicle that is not pulled by a cable up a slope.
Word family
- funiculus noun
- a small cord-like structure in anatomy and botany
- funambulist noun
- a tightrope walker, from a related Latin root for rope
- funicular railway noun
- the full name of the hill railway
Commonly confused: funicular or finicular? funicular or cable car?
funicular vs finicular
Finicular is a common misspelling; the correct form begins fun-, from the Latin for rope.
funicular vs cable car
A cable car swings from overhead wires, while a funicular rides on rails pulled by a cable.
Practice
How does a funicular move up a steep slope?
Choose one answer.
A funicular has two cars joined by a cable, so one rising car is balanced by the other descending. An overhead wire is a cable car, not a funicular.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “funicular”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.