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spider

rumble seat, spider seat

noun spee-DER Rare
Travel & Places Transportation

Origin: borrowed from English 'spider' (a type of open carriage)

Usage Note

Spider in French refers to the folding rear seat of a two-seater convertible car or a roadster, equivalent to a 'rumble seat'. It is a masculine noun and an anglicism that entered French automotive vocabulary in the early 20th century. The word is mostly used by car enthusiasts and in vintage-car contexts today.

Examples

"La voiture de sport avait un spider à l'arrière."

Natural Translation

The sports car had a rumble seat at the back.

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