cabriolet

[ kab-ree-uh-ley ]

/ ˌkæb ri əˈleɪ /

a light, two-wheeled, one-horse carriage with a folding top, capable of seating two persons.

an automobile resembling a coupe but with a folding top.

Origin of cabriolet

1760–70; < French: literally, little caper; so called from its light movement. See cabriole, -et

cabrilla, cabrillo, cabrini, cabrio, cabriole, cabriolet, cabrito, cabstand, cabuya, cac-, cacao

(A more upscale version, the cabriolet, or “cab,” was later imported from France).

Great Cities are Born Filthy |Will Doig |July 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The fruiterer's daughter was putting into the cabriolet a parcel belonging to Georges at the moment of his arrest.

Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, Complete |Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne
At this moment two persons, who had come from Paris in a cabriolet, alighted at the door of the shop.

The Mysteries of Paris, Volume 1 of 6 |Eugne Sue
A seedy-looking 248 cabriolet and horse to match are abominations not to be endured.

Coaching, with Anecdotes of the Road |William Pitt Lennox

We will hire a cabriolet, and keep it, so that we can return when we choose.

My Neighbor Raymond (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XI) |Charles Paul de Kock
Can I earn a handsome livelihood out of all this—wear kid gloves, and set up a cabriolet?

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 64, No. 398, December 1848 |Various

cabriolet

/ (ˌkæbrɪəʊˈleɪ) /

a small two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with two seats and a folding hood

a former name for a drophead coupé

C18: from French, literally: a little skip, from cabriole, from Latin capreolus wild goat, from caper goat; referring to the lightness of movement