Etymology and terminology

The term "automobile" is originally an adjective derived from the concatenation of a Greek prefix, αὐτός (oneself), and a Latin suffix, mobilis (mobile). It was created in the invention of the first "horseless carriages" because they were fitted with a motor with onboard power source while the other "car", stagecoaches, carriages, carts, trolleys and other land vehicles were driven by one or more horses (horse-drawn) or one or oxen.

The noun "car" is attested by 1890 but its kind, today only female, has long been a topic for linguists open. The French Academy ruled from 1901 to Female kind, but the controversy has become extinct long after, the male is occasionally attested until 1944.

Due to its wide distribution and its use in the most diverse environments, the car is now called by many names, familiar or slang as auto, car, car, banger and cash, taffy, harp, hand drill, wagon in Europe and beater tank and in French North America. The term tank is standard against Francophones southern .