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You may have fun on a funicular, but the word is not related to "fun" (which comes to us from an English dialect verb meaning "to hoax"). The noun "funicular" descends from an earlier adjective funicular, meaning "relating to a cord under tension." It was also influenced by "funiculaire," a French word used for a type of railway that is dependent upon cables (or on "cords under tension"). Ultimately, these terms trace back to the Latin noun funiculus, meaning "small rope." "Funicular" first appeared in print as an adjective in English in 1664; the noun has been with us since the early 20th century.
Examples of funicular in a Sentence
Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
Emergency services at the scene after the Glória funicular cable railway derailed in Lisbon on Wednesday night.
—Carolina Bastos Pereira, NBC news, 5 Sep. 2025
David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Advertisement First opened in 1885, the Glória funicular was electrified in 1915.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Funicular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/funicular. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
funicular
adjective
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