Trailer
/ˈtreɪ.lər/noun
A vehicle or structure pulled behind another vehicle; also, a short promotional preview for a film or show.
Did you know?Trailer comes from a verb meaning “to drag or trail behind,” and its film meaning grew from the idea of a preview originally being shown after the main feature — a literal afterthought.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dreh₁- / *treh₁-
“To draw, drag, or pull”
Old French
OF
trailer
“To drag, pull, or trail along”
Middle English
ME
trailen
“To drag behind; to follow behind”
17th Century
English
trailer
“Something that trails or is dragged behind”
20th Century
English
trailer
“A short film advertisement shown before or after a feature; later, a mobile home or vehicle towed behind another”