barouche

/bæˈɹuːʃ/

Etymology

From dialectal German Barutsche, from Italian baroccio, from Late Latin *birotium, from Latin birotus (“chariot”), from bi- (“two”) + rota (“wheel”). The spelling was altered in English as if the word had come from French. Doublet of britchka.

Why this word is great

BAROUCHE — [Noun] A four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a collapsible half-hood, two double seats facing each other, and an outside seat for the driver. From dialectal German Barutsche, from Italian baroccio, from Late Latin *birotium, from Latin birotus ("chariot"), from bi- ("two") + rota ("wheel"). The spelling was altered in English as if from French. Unlike the "phaeton" (built for reckless speed, its passengers exposed to wind and judgment) or the "hansom" (a nimble urban insect, all efficiency and no grandeur), the barouche is an instrument of leisurely display, a mobile drawing room for the well-heeled. It is the creak of polished leather under gloved hands, the scent of varnished wood warmed by afternoon sun, the rustle of silk skirts shifting as the hood is drawn against a sudden shower—a relic of an era when even motion demanded ceremony.

noun

A four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with collapsible half-hood, two double seats facing each other, and an outside seat for the driver.““What! cried Julia. Go box’d up three in a post-chaise in this weather, when we may have seats in a barouche! No, my dear Edmund, that will not quite do.””