runabout

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See also: run about

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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Deverbal from run about.

Noun

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runabout (plural runabouts)

  1. Any of several small vehicles, especially a small motor car for use on short journeys.
    • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 2, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad[1]:
      The door being open, Stranleigh walked in unannounced. A two-seated runabout [] stood by the window, where it could be viewed by passers-by. Further down the room rested a chassis, []
  2. (dated) A motor car having a single row of seats.
  3. (historical) A light, open, American horse-drawn vehicle with four large wheels.
  4. (archaic) A gadabout or vagabond.
  5. (science fiction) A small, relatively maneuverable spacecraft or shuttlecraft.
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French

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Pronunciation

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IPA(key): /ʁœ.na.bawt/

Noun

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runabout m (plural runabouts)

  1. runabout (motor vehicle)

Further reading

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Spanish

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English runabout

Noun

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runabout m (plural runabouts)

  1. runabout (motor vehicle)

Usage notes

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According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.