covered wagon

English

Noun

covered wagon (plural covered wagons)

1. (transport, historical) A wagon with a frame (typically arched) over which a canvas cover is fixed.
2. (rail transport, British) A covered goods wagon.
   • 1962 February, “Talking of Trains: British-owned ferry wagons”, in Modern Railways, page 83:

     The advantages of the train ferry in combining through running (without double handling) with speed and relatively large loads are shown in the decision of the Swedish State Railways to build 100 large covered and 50 open wagons for working to Britain by the ferry services, although the route from Sweden to any destination in the U.K. via Zeebrugge/Harwich is comparatively circuitous; the first of the Swedish covered wagons has already run through to London.

Synonyms

• (covered wagon): prairie wagon, whitetop; prairie schooner (sometimes proscribed); ambulance (obsolete)
• (covered train car): van

Hyponyms

• (covered wagon): Conestoga wagon, Conestoga; prairie schooner; Conestoga wain (obsolete)

References

• “covered wagon”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.