Did you know?
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
Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 10 Feb. 2026
Guests passing through the Smoky Mountains can spot the park’s entrance, funicular, and steel looping roller coaster, Cliff Hanger.
Heritage USA—the brainchild of television evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker—opened in Fort Mill, South Carolina, in 1978.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 3 Jan. 2026
Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026
The Lake Tahoe property, once marketed as one of the region’s most expensive listings, features multiple structures on five acres, direct lake access, and two glass funiculars running down the hillside to the water.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for funicular
Cite this Entry
“Funicular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/funicular. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
funicular
adjective
