galamander

galamander - n., a customized wagon once used for hauling stone from quarries, with a built-in derrick for loading/unloading blocks of stone.



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Most known galamanders were in New England, especially Maine. Origin unknown, said to have been coined by American blacksmith Elder Littlefield on Vinalhaven Island, off the coast of Maine, but how he supposedly coined it has been much speculated: hypotheses include an alteration of salamander, and a compound of galley, type of boat + meander, twist/wind about. From both of these, I speculate that the wagon part was designed for winding pathways.

---L.