gondola

 
Pronunciation: /ˈgɒndələ/

noun

  • 1a light flat-bottomed boat used on Venetian canals, having a high point at each end and worked by one oar at the stern.
  • 2the seating compartment in a ski lift.
  • an enclosed compartment suspended from an airship or balloon.
  • 3 (also gondola car) North American an open railway freight wagon.
  • 4British a free-standing block of shelves used to display goods in a supermarket.

Origin:

mid 16th century: from Venetian Italian, from Rhaeto-Romance gondolà 'to rock, roll'