telpher

English

Part of the telpher line at Glynde, East Sussex

Etymology

From tele- + Ancient Greek φέρω (phérō).

Noun

telpher (plural telphers)

1. An electric-run cable car used for transportation, along overhead wires.
2. A system of transportation using telphers.
   • 2020 December 30, Tim Dunn, “The railway's mechanical marvels”, in Rail, page 55:

     In 1898, the ever-innovative Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway installed an overhead delivery system known as a 'telpher'. […] But the telpher at Manchester Victoria wasn't part of a crane. It was part of an extraordinary dual-railed overhead line, a little like a suspended monorail, with individually manned units that trundled high above the heads of passengers and staff, carrying goods from the Parcels Office to each platform.

Derived terms

• telpherage
• telpheric
• telpher line
• telpher road

Verb

telpher (third-person singular simple present telphers, present participle telphering, simple past and past participle telphered)

1. (transitive) To transport with a telpher.