station wagon

Definition

A body style for cars in which the roof is extended rearward to produce an enclosed area in the position and serving the function of the boot (trunk) of a sedan or saloon.

Etymology

From train station; station wagons were originally designed for transporting people and luggage between stations and country estates.

Example Sentences

• "1952 November, Should You Buy A Station Wagon?, Kiplinger′s Personal Finance, page 45, Trade-in values for station wagons have shown a marked improvement since the introduction of the all-steel body. In fact, a station wagon buyer need not worry about his investment′s depreciating any more than he would have to if he bought a four-door sedan."
• "The Negro was lying in a ditch on the left side of the road, face down, headed west, and the body more or less parallel to the road and about a car length behind the station wagon and a car length in front of Price′s car."
• "The prosperity of the postwar years, the baby boom, and the birth of suburbia sent the demand for station wagons soaring. As a result, by 1952 almost every manufacturer offered a station wagon model."