vaporetto

noun

va·​po·​ret·​to ˌvä-pə-ˈre-(ˌ)tō 

plural vaporetti ˌvä-pə-ˈre-tē  also vaporettos

: a motorboat serving as a canal bus in Venice, Italy

Examples of vaporetto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Arrive by vaporetto, the quintessential mode of transport, to these fashionable spots. —Kathy A. McDonald, Variety, 30 Aug. 2023

Venice Immersive, the Venice Film Festival’s showcase of the best in new virtual reality productions is an easy, one-minute vaporetto ride from the Lido. —Damiano D’agostino, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

On footage captured by various locals, they were caught dodging a vaporetto (water bus) and a taxi under the Rialto Bridge as well as zipping past the Salute basilica, one of the city's iconic sites. —Julia Buckley, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022

Another video, shared by the mayor, appears to show the duo speeding down the canal and passing just by a vaporetto, or water taxi. —Claudio Lavanga, NBC News, 18 Aug. 2022

Anyone who has been on a lumbering Venice vaporetto will have noticed these kids zooming across the water in foamy, curving circuits, going nowhere fast and then some, for the sheer, heart-quickening joy of it. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 10 Apr. 2022

Some choose to take a vaporetto (or water taxi) to the lagoon island of Mazzorbo, a restful break from the buzz of Venice proper. —Tom Marchant, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 Oct. 2021

While in Venice, Bey and Jay lived the glamorous life, snapping photos while riding in a vaporetto boat. —Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 16 Oct. 2021

From there, people must take the vaporetto across the Grand Canal (free for wheelchair users) to San Samuele, where the route continues across the Ponte dei Frati, connecting the squares of Santo Stefano and Sant'Angelo. —Julia Buckley, CNN, 17 Aug. 2021

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, diminutive of vapore "steamboat," short for battello a vapore, borrowed from French bateau à vapeur "steamboat"

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above