Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

I doubt it's coming from French since initial invention was made in Germany. It's Draisine in Engligh, French, German, and in many languages it's called similarly, sometimes with little spelling deviations.



Correct. Wikipedia says it was named after the inventor Karl Drais who invented the dandy horse, the predecessor to the bicycle. Interestingly, he did not invent the Draisine on rails, though, just another mode of transport that in some ways is very similar.


I was a bit confused at first since in French, the word "Draisienne" is used for the dandy horse itself. But apparently Draisine is also in use in French (first time I heard about it, native speaker). You learn new things everyday !




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: