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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
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Alongside the main house, the property encompasses multiple guest houses, a caretaker’s unit and the region’s only funicular which leads to the grand estate perched cliffside at the water’s edge.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Angélica Franganillo Díaz, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Alongside the main house, the property encompasses multiple guest houses, a caretaker’s unit and the region’s only funicular which leads to the grand estate perched cliffside at the water’s edge.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for funicular
Cite this Entry
“Funicular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/funicular. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
funicular
adjective
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