funicular
/fju:'nikjulə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Relating to or operated by a cable: Describes a system, especially a railway, that uses a moving cable for propulsion and balance.
Noun:
- A railway up a steep slope: A specific type of railway, often on a mountainside, where passenger cars are pulled by a continuously moving cable. The system typically uses two counterbalanced cars connected by the same cable, so one ascends as the other descends.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- The city's historic funicular transport system is a popular tourist attraction.
- The engineers designed a new funicular mechanism for the incline.
Noun:
- We took the funicular to reach the castle at the top of the hill.
- The old funicular has been in operation for over a century.
Advanced Usage
- Technical Context: In engineering, "funicular" can describe the shape a free-hanging chain or cable takes under its own weight, known as a curve. A is a related graphical concept in statics for analyzing forces.
- The bridge's design was inspired by the funicular form of a suspended chain.
Variants and Related Words
- Funicular Railway (n): The full term for the railway system. Often used interchangeably with the noun "funicular."
- The funicular railway provides essential access to the remote village.
Synonyms
- Cable railway (n): A general term for a railway powered by a cable.
- Incline railway (n): Emphasizes the steep slope of the track.
- Cliff railway (n): Specifically used for railways on coastal cliffs.
Notes on Meaning
- The term is most commonly used as a noun to refer to the railway system itself.
- The adjective form is more specialized and is primarily used in technical or descriptive contexts related to cable-operated systems.
Adjective
- relating to or operated by a cable
- funicular railway
Noun
- a railway up the side of a mountain pulled by a moving cable and having counterbalancing ascending and descending cars