Meanings
plural 'rickshaws
- alternativedatedhypercorrectAlternative form of rickshaw.
1 more example
I had originally some wild notion of confiding it all to Kitty ; of begging her to marry me at once ; and in her arms defying the ghostly occupant of the 'rickshaw. "After all," I argued, "the presence of the 'rickshaw is in itself enough to prove the existence of a spectral illusion. One may see ghosts of men and women, but surely never of coolies and carriages. The whole thing is absurd. Fancy the ghost of a hill-man !"
1890, Rudyard Kipling, The Phantom 'Rickshaw: And Other Tales, pages 16—17
Origin
Because the Japanese 力車 (rikisha) is an abbreviation of 人力車 (jinrikisha), some authors have insisted that the English term also be marked as an abbreviation, as if abbreviated from jinrickshaw.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
'rickshaw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/'rickshaw
“'rickshaw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/'rickshaw. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “'rickshaw,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/'rickshaw.
Source: 'rickshaw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.