car

¹

[ kahr ]

noun

1. an automobile.
2. a vehicle running on rails, as a streetcar or railroad car.
3. the part of an elevator, balloon, modern airship, etc., that carries the passengers, freight, etc.
4. British Dialect. any wheeled vehicle, as a farm cart or wagon.
5. Literary. a chariot, as of war or triumph.
6. Archaic. cart; carriage.

car

²

[ kahr ]

adjective

, Chiefly Scot.

1. left-handed.
2. sinister.

CAR

³

1. computer-assisted retrieval.

car.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. carat; carats.

CAR

¹

abbreviation for

1. compound annual return

car

²

/ kɑː /

noun

1. 1. Also calledmotorcarautomobile a self-propelled road vehicle designed to carry passengers, esp one with four wheels that is powered by an internal-combustion engine
   2. ( as modifier )

      car coat

2. a conveyance for passengers, freight, etc, such as a cable car or the carrier of an airship or balloon
3. a railway vehicle for passengers only, such as a sleeping car or buffet car
4. a railway carriage or van
5. the enclosed platform of a lift
6. a poetic word for chariot

Other Words From

• carless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of car¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English carre, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin carra (feminine singular), from Latin, neuter plural of carrum, variant of carrus “baggage cart, freight wagon,” from Gaulish; akin to Old Irish carr “wheeled vehicle”

Origin of car²

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English ( Scots ), from Scots Gaelic ceàrr “false, left, wrong”

Origin of car³

First recorded in 1980–85

Word History and Origins

Origin of car¹

C14: from Anglo-French carre, ultimately related to Latin carra, carrum two-wheeled wagon, probably of Celtic origin; compare Old Irish carr

Example Sentences

Northamptonshire Police have released an image of Mr Lamba in east London, which officers believe was taken after he abandoned his wife's body in the car.

From BBC

Defence lawyers said she suffered a mental breakdown and wanted to die with her children but left the car at the last minute.

From BBC

They said Ms Allen-Wyatt used multiple reasons for not doing them, including car crashes, lack of pitch availability, schedule clashes, her hen party and her wedding.

From BBC

She and her partner took time off work and slept in their car for two weeks to stay in the area where the dog was lost rather than returning to their home in El Sereno.

From Los Angeles Times

Among the issues they face are high energy costs, weaker than expected demand for electric cars and growing competition from Chinese manufacturers.

From BBC

Related Words

• auto
• automobile
• bus
• convertible
• jeep
• limousine
• machine
• motor
• pickup
• ride
• station wagon
• truck
• van
• wagon

About This Word

What else does car mean?

To most of us on the outside, a car is a vehicle with a motor and four wheels. But in prison slang, your car is your crew, especially when it comes to drugs, protection, and money-making.

Where does car come from?

In prison slang, the expression car refers to a small band of prisoners who stick together, often for protection, companionship, running drugs, or making money.

The slang car dates to at least the 1990s. A group of convicts who are on good terms with one another are thought of as being in the car together. Being in the car can also refer to being in on a car‘s particular operation. If one of the prisoners has a falling out with the others, they are out of the car.

The prison car, then, is a bit like an informal gang of prisoners who spend time together and pool their resources, including drugs and money.

This car imagery has spawned lots of other related expressions. For example, by at least the 1990s, a prisoner who bought drugs for the others in the group was referred to as driving the car. Someone who used the drugs without paying for them was referred to as hitchhiking.

By 2015, prisoners referred to members of their group as a car. Your car is often based on your race, geography, or affiliated gang (e.g. a black car or an Aryan Nation car). Cars can also exert their power to domineer over other prisoners.

How is car used in real life?

Calling a group of people you’re affiliated with a car is mostly associated with prison life and culture.

Time for some RF gated community/pen/ prison slang : in my 3C – rolling in my Campbell county car , who I associate with and / or am allies with , occasionally Claiborne county, Scott county and other rural types roll with the 3C.this concludes today’s slang term of the day

— Robert ferguson (@Robferg24) April 24, 2019

On the outside, someone’s car is more commonly referred to as a gang or crew.

4 to a car @HunterMaston @JohnAKAFlash @DustinRuss_19 #PrisonSlang #KillerWorkOut #gymstatus #Crew

— TannerMaston ™️ (@TMast1331) July 8, 2013

More examples of car:

“That guy’s in the New York car. If you fuck with him, you’ll have to deal with all of them.”
—Seth Ferranti, Vice, October 2015

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.