carful

C3A1R1F4U1L1

noun

As much as a car will hold. (Usually with reference to an automobile; sometimes with reference to a railroad car, especially in 19th-century texts.)

“Tourists were arriving by the carful.”

OriginMiddle English carful →
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Meanings

nouncarful (plural carfuls or carsful)

plural carfuls · plural carsful

  1. As much as a car will hold. (Usually with reference to an automobile; sometimes with reference to a railroad car, especially in 19th-century texts.)

    Tourists were arriving by the carful.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishcarful“cartful”
  2. Englishcarful

From Middle English carful (“cartful”), equivalent to car + -ful. Shift in meaning follows that of "cart" to modern senses of car. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Koareful (“a cartful”), West Frisian karfol (“a cartful”), German Karrevoll (“a cartful”).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

furcal
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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