From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Gondola \Gon"do*la\, noun [It., dim. of gonda a gondola; cf. LL. gandeia a kind of boat, Gr. ? a drinking vessel; said to be a Persian word; cf. F. gondole gondola, cup.]
1. A long, narrow boat with a high prow and stern, used in the canals of Venice. A gondola is usually propelled by one or two oarsmen who stand facing the prow, or by poling. A gondola for passengers has a small open cabin amidships, for their protection against the sun or rain. A sumptuary law of Venice required that gondolas should be painted black, and they are customarily so painted now.
2. A flat-bottomed boat for freight. [U. S.]
3. A long platform car, either having no sides or with very low sides, used on railroads. [U. S.]
4. (A["e]ronautics) An elongated car under a dirigible. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: a low flat-bottomed freight car with fixed sides but no roof [syn: {gondola car}]
2: long narrow flat-bottomed boat propelled by sculling; traditionally used on canals of Venice
3: car suspended from an airship and carrying personnel and cargo and power plant [syn: {car}]
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