tonneau

tonneau (tuh-NOH) - n., the rear seating compartment of a car with separate front & rear compartments; the body of a car with such a compartment; the protective cover for the passenger compartment of a small open roadster, for the bed of a pickup truck, and so on.


In the very oldest cars that had rear seating, it was common for the front and rear seating to be separated and different in style, with the latter often rounded like a barrel -- hence the name, from the French for barrel/cask (ultimately a cognate of ton, both from Celtic roots).


And that wraps this week of words from The Blue Castle. Next week is more words from a book -- to be named Monday.

---L.