pram

Etymology 1

Clipping of perambulator.

noun

1. (UK, Australia, New Zealand) A small vehicle, usually covered, in which a newborn baby is pushed around in a lying position.
   Janet Bird née Ollerenshaw was pushing her pram along Tockley High Street. 1975, Margaret Drabble, The Realms of Gold, published 1977, page 127
   For a start the pram was heavier than it appeared, and also they were pulling it along very uneven ground. The edge of the field was slightly banked which tilted the pram at an angle. 2006, Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale
   Stepping over her, he unbuttoned the pram′s apron and pulled it back. At first he couldn′t make out what the pram contained. He had to crane himself over, holding his body back from the obscuring light. The pram was full of groceries—cabbage, sprouts, potatoes. 2012, Ramsey Campbell, Dark Companions, page 233
   The Key Train Requirements document, released in July by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), includes a new clause covering people travelling with pushchairs. It highlights the need for space in carriages for unfolded pushchairs or prams, separate from areas for wheelchairs and cycles. It also recommends extending seat reservations to include pram spaces. August 9 2023, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Family-friendly travel: new standard covers pushchairs”, in RAIL, number 989, page 26

Etymology 2

, a typical modern pram used to train children to sail.]] From Dutch praam (“a flat-bottomed boat”), from Middle Dutch praem, from Middle Low German prām, from Old Czech *prám, from Proto-Slavic *pormъ. Doublet of farm.

noun

1. (nautical, historical) A flat-bottomed barge used on shallow shores to convey cargo to and from ships that cannot enter the harbour.
2. (nautical, historical) A similar barge used as platform for cannons in shallow waters which seagoing warships cannot enter.
3. A type of dinghy with a flat bow.
   Although the pram, like the johnboat, has a squared-off bow as well as stern, the bow lines on the pram will be narrower than those encountered on a johnboat. August 1979, F. M. Paulson, “Car-topable Craft”, in Field & Stream, page 50
   Nothing can beat the simple pleasure of paddling a pram around on a foggy dawn, probing pad flats, stumps and fallen logs for lurking bass. 1994, Dave Hughes, Fly Fishing Basics