Vaporetto
/ˌvæpəˈrɛtoʊ/noun
A small passenger boat, especially one used as public transport on the canals of Venice.
Did you know?Although vaporetti are now iconic symbols of Venice, the word arose from the Italian fascination with steam-powered transport in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂wapor-
“A reconstructed root associated with vapor, steam, or heat”
Classical Latin
Latin
vapor
“Steam, vapor, heat, or exhalation”
Medieval Latin
Latin
vapor
“Vapor or warm exhalation”
14th Century
Italian
vapore
“Steam or vapor”
19th Century
Italian
vaporetto
“A small steam-powered vessel; literally, “little steamer””
Modern English
English
vaporetto
“A public passenger boat, especially in Venice”