What is the word cab short for? It is short for cabriolet, the French name for a light, two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage. People shortened it to cab, and the word later moved from carriages to motorized taxis.
The sources behind this guide disagree on dates. One places the shortening in 17th-century England and another in the 19th century, so treat any exact year as approximate. The shorter word was easier to say, and that is why it stuck in everyday speech, including in cities across Canada where urban transport grew quickly.
Where the word cab comes from
Cabriolet described a light, open carriage used for hire. The abbreviation started as shorthand for those small horse-drawn vehicles. When motorized taxis arrived in the early 20th century, the name carried over to them, so a modern cab is the descendant of the carriage.
The Vancouver connection
The word is used for taxis worldwide, but its history links to the development of transit and taxi services in cities such as Vancouver. Local talk about cabs keeps a thread back to the horse-drawn carriages and their French origins.
How people use cab today
- As a plain word for a taxi in urban areas such as Vancouver or Toronto, where ride-hailing apps now sit alongside traditional cabs. In BC and across Canada it usually means a hired vehicle for a short trip.
- For the compartment where the driver sits in a truck, and for the driver or pilot area in some aircraft. This is a separate technical sense.
- For the control area of a machine, in instruction manuals and training material, such as aircraft simulators and heavy machinery.
- In history and culture, where it points back to carriage compartments and early taxis. Some Canadian cities have preserved vintage cabs or themed events about them.
- Informally, for a makeshift or temporary vehicle arrangement such as a local shuttle or community-run ride service, including in some BC communities.
In everyday Canadian speech, though, cab simply means taxi. The word is a small piece of transport history that people use without thinking about the carriage behind it.