station wagons

Noun

station wagon (plural station wagons)

1. (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US) 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.
   • 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.1952 November, Should You Buy A Station Wagon?, Kiplinger′s Personal Finance, page 45

   Synonyms:

   estate car, estate[Appendix:Glossary, station sedan

2. (obsolete) A vehicle (either horse-drawn or motorized) providing transport to and from a railway station for passengers and their luggage.
   • We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine. We passed on the way the van of the guests from Asquith.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC