# What is the origin of the term "station wagon"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307 "2004-04-05T05:33:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/1 "2004-04-05T05:33:09Z")
I just bought one. And it’s not stationary. In fact, it’s rather mobile. Why _station_ wagon? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/2 "2004-04-05T05:51:33Z")
From the [American Heritage Dictionary](http://www.bartleby.com/61/97/S0719700.html) > [@](#): > > ETYMOLOGY: Originally a covered wagon used to convey passengers from a train station to their hotel. Lots of automotive terms come from terms for horse-drawn carriages/wagons. A _coupe_ is a “closed four-wheel carriage with two seats inside and one outside,” a _cabriolet_ is a “two-wheeled, one-horse carriage that has two seats and a folding top,” and a _brougham_ is a “closed four-wheeled carriage with an open driver’s seat in front.” (All from the same reference) ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/3 "2004-04-05T11:25:04Z")
Someone once told me it was a corruption of “estate wagon”, which was the largest and least sporty conveyance available on a multivehicled estate. But it wasn’t a dictionary that told me, so the previous post is more likely correct! ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/4 "2004-04-05T16:05:35Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Someone once told me it was a corruption of “estate wagon”, which was the largest and least sporty conveyance available on a multivehicled estate. > > But it wasn’t a dictionary that told me, so the previous post is more likely correct! It might be as you say----a corruption of’estate wagon’. The advertising at the time when they first emerged showed it as a vehicle to transport,or car pool, commuters from their estates[?] to and from the railroad station. It also created the impression that it was a sort of light utility vehicle for transporting shipped items from the station to the home. At any rate it was all very “carriage trade” oriented------and gave the impression of success and affluence. It was,of course, intendded to be a “second” vehicle. EZ EZ ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/5 "2004-04-05T18:29:41Z")
Station wagons, originally horse-drawn, later motorized, were the equivalent of the multi-seat vans presently used by many hotels to pick up clients and their luggage at the airport, etc. The suburban carry-all car is a later development which retained the name while becoming more of a personal vehicle in design. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/6 "2004-04-06T12:53:35Z")
[Why do they call it a “station wagon”?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_266b.html) ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/7 "2004-04-06T13:04:27Z")
Stationi Wagonus is latin for “Annoying kids in rear compartment”. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/8 "2004-04-06T14:57:45Z")
> [@bughunter](#): > > And it’s not stationary. Well, that’s why it’s not called a stationary wagon. Despite their similarities, _station_ and _stationary_ are different words with different meanings. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/9 "2004-04-06T15:13:47Z")
If you hauled writing supplies in it, you could call it a stationery wagon. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-term-station-wagon/238307/10 "2004-04-06T18:05:01Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] If you hauled writing supplies in it, you could call it a stationery wagon.[/QUOTE And if the engine won’t start then it would be a stationary stationery wagon. … … … … … … … … . ( I’m sorry–but somebody had to say it, right?) (I promise I won’t do it again)… … … … …(runs away)