artic
artic — noun
- articsingular
- articsplural
1. a large truck used for carrying goods over long distances. It has a separate fro
a large truck used for carrying goods over long distances. It has a separate front cab where the driver sits and a long rear container joined by a flexible coupling so the vehicle can bend when turning. This word is an informal short form of 'articulated lorry', used mainly in British English.
Adaeze's father drives an artic for a parcel company based outside Manchester.
countable noun: drive an artic
That country lane is far too narrow for a fully loaded artic.
collocation: fully loaded artic
Meera watched the artic reverse slowly into the loading bay at the warehouse.
Andrew's uncle used to park his artic at the depot each Friday after his route.
An artic needs more room to turn than a car because of its long trailer.
- articulated lorry
the full, neutral-register form of the same vehicle; preferred in formal writing
- semi
the equivalent informal term in American English
- 18-wheeler
another American informal term that refers to the number of wheels on a typical tractor-trailer
- tractor-trailer
the standard American English term, neutral in register
用法筆記
This word is almost exclusively British and sounds informal. In American English the equivalent terms are 'semi', '18-wheeler', or 'tractor-trailer'. The full form 'articulated lorry' is neutral in register and works in any variety of English.