cantrail

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/kæntˈɹeɪl/

noun

A length of metal (earlier timber) supporting the outer edge of the roof of a railway carriage; also found on locomotives, buses and coaches.

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Meanings

nouncantrail (plural cantrails)

plural cantrails · alternative cant rail

  1. UKrail transportA length of metal (earlier timber) supporting the outer edge of the roof of a railway carriage; also found on locomotives, buses and coaches.

    As was briefly reported last month, the S.R. is experimenting with the Continental method of making the class of train accommodation more conspicuous by painting a coloured strip below the cantrail of the coaches.

    1960 March, “Talking of Trains: "Rainbow" trains on the S.R.”, in Trains Illustrated, page 135

Origin

From cant + rail.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

altincar
Cite this entry
APA

cantrail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cantrail

MLA

“cantrail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cantrail. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cantrail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cantrail.

Source: cantrail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.