char-à-banc
or char·a·banc
[ shar-uh-bang, -bangk; French sha-ra-bahn ]
/ ˈʃær əˌbæŋ, -ˌbæŋk; French ʃa raˈbɑ̃ /
noun, plural char-à-bancs [-bangz, -bangks; French sha-ra-bahn] /-ˌbæŋz, -ˌbæŋks; French ʃa raˈbɑ̃/. British.
a large bus used on sightseeing tours, especially one with open sides and no center aisle.
Origin of char-à-banc
1810–20; back formation from French
char-à-bancs literally, car with benches, the
-s being taken as plural ending of word as a whole
Words nearby char-à-banc
chapultepec,
chaqueta,
char,
char siu,
char-grilled,
char-à-banc,
char.,
charabanc,
characin,
character,
character actor
Example sentences from the Web for charabanc
Our anniversary addiction is perhaps a way of imposing order on this charabanc of crazy.
But these futile ebullitions of malice are powerless to check the triumphal progress of the charabanc in the Eastern Counties.
The afternoon was generally given up to some excursion or charabanc drive, and the day finished rather somnolently in the lounge.
Joanna Godden |Sheila Kaye-Smith
British Dictionary definitions for charabanc
charabanc
/ (ˈʃærəˌbæŋ, French ʃarabɑ̃) /
noun
British obsolete
a motor coach, esp one used for sightseeing tours
Word Origin for charabanc
C19: from French
char-à-bancs, wagon with seats