Chauffeur Meaning
/ʃɒˈfɜː/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA person employed to drive a private motor car or a hired car of executive or luxury class (like a limousine).
nounThe driver of a fire truck.
Sentence Examples
The chauffeur will be on duty after 3 o'clock.
A chauffeur sat in front.
Tom had his chauffeur drive him to the theater.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The wealthy businessman hired a personal ____ to drive his new luxury car.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A professional ____ drove the celebrity to the grand event tonight.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱelh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *ḱl̥h₁éh₁ti Proto-Italic *kalēō Classical Latin caleō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Classical Latin faciō Classical Latin calefaciō Classical Latin calfaciō Vulgar Latin *calfō Old French chaufer Middle French chauffer French chauffer French -eur French chauffeurbor. English chauffeur Borrowed from French chauffeur.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He fell into a reverie, a most dangerous state of mind for a chauffeur, since a fall into reverie on the part of a driver may mean a fall into a ravine on the part of the machine."
— 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 3, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
"Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
When I was dead broke, man, I couldn't picture this
50-inch screen, money-green leather sofa
Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur"
— 1994, 2:40 from the start, in Juicy (Hip Hop), spoken by The Notorious B.I.G.:
"I can make money from the comfort of my sofa / So much drive, now I gotta get a chauffeur"
— 2024, “Hot One”, in King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 (Hip Hop), performed by Denzel Curry:
""Old Pearson. He did gardening for us, and chauffeuring for my father. Such a dear old man - I've know him all my life.""
— 1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 75:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The wealthy businessman hired a personal ____ to drive his new luxury car.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A professional ____ drove the celebrity to the grand event tonight.