hansom

[ han-suhm ]

noun

1. a low-hung, two-wheeled, covered vehicle drawn by one horse, for two passengers, with the driver being mounted on an elevated seat behind and the reins running over the roof.
2. any similar horse-drawn vehicle.

hansom

/ ˈhænsəm /

noun

1. sometimes capital a two-wheeled one-horse carriage with a fixed hood. The driver sits on a high outside seat at the rear Also calledhansom cab

Word History and Origins

Origin of hansom¹

1850–55; named after J. A. Hansom (1803–82), English architect who designed it

Word History and Origins

Origin of hansom¹

C19: short for hansom cab, named after its designer J. A. Hansom (1803–82)

Example Sentences

Rain poured down in violent torrents, pummeling the hansom cab’s roof and sending the coachman cursing at the sky.

From Literature

Donald Pepper formed a special connection with a retired Philadelphia hansom cab horse.

From Washington Post

A team of stagehands and handlers attached Lord’s hansom cab, and Musetta and her paramour loaded into it, with their prop shopping packages.

From New York Times

Leonard’s chosen genre is the Victorian mystery, whose iconography — sulfurous fog, hansom cabs — had already been fixed in Conan Doyle’s lifetime.

From Washington Post

Both shows update the timeline of their source material to modern day, trading hansom cabs for subways and limousines.

From Los Angeles Times