chariot

1 of 2

noun

char·​i·​ot ˈcher-ē-ət 

ˈcha-rē-

1

: a light four-wheeled pleasure or state carriage

2

: a two-wheeled horse-drawn battle car of ancient times used also in processions and races

chariot

2 of 2

verb

charioted; charioting; chariots

intransitive verb

: to drive or ride in or as if in a chariot

transitive verb

: to carry in or as if in a chariot

Examples of chariot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Instead, human control of horses took off just prior to the explosive spread of horses and chariots across Eurasia during the early second millennium BCE. —William Taylor, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2024

For Imax, the scale and ambition of Megalopolis will play well on its big screens as the epic includes Madison Square Garden turned into a Colosseum with gladiatorial contests and chariot races. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2024

The cast offered a brief teaser for the coming season (watch it below) — including Percy (Scobell) taking the reins of a chariot — and announced some additions to the cast. —Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Aug. 2024

The invention of saddles and horseshoes, for example, helped enable the creation of cavalry in the ninth century BC, which extended the battlefield beyond the flat expanses required for chariots and into new types of terrain. —Mark A. Milley, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English chariot, chariette "wheeled vehicle for transporting people or things, vehicle used in warfare," borrowed from Anglo-French, "four-wheeled vehicle" (also continental Old French), from charier "to transport, carry entry 1" + -ot, noun suffix, here instrumental, going back to Vulgar Latin *-ottus, variant of Latin -ittus, diminutive suffix

Note: Other examples of -ot as an instrumental suffix are brûlot "fireship," cachot "prison cell."

Verb

derivative of chariot entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1550, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

chariot

noun

char·​i·​ot

ˈchar-ē-ət

: a two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle of ancient times used in battle and also in races and parades