Origin: Greek prefix auto-
Automobile has 5 different meanings across 2 categories:
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
"he needs a car to get to work"
A type of vehicle designed to move on the ground under its own stored power and intended to carry a driver, a small number of additional passengers, and a very limited amount of other load. A car or motorcar.
"After parking his automobile in the garage, he walked inside to finish packing for the trip."
In plain English: An automobile is a car that runs on its own power to move people or things from place to place.
"The new automobile was parked in the driveway next to the house."
Usage: Use automobile as a formal synonym for car or motorcar when you want to emphasize that the vehicle is self-propelled rather than animal-drawn. It is less common in casual conversation than simply saying "car.
travel in an automobile
"We decided to drive our old car down the coast for a weekend getaway."
To travel by automobile.
"We decided to drive south for the weekend instead of taking the train."
"The driver accidentally automobile into the guardrail while trying to park."
Usage: Automobile is not used as a verb in standard English; instead, use drive or ride to describe traveling by car. The word functions solely as a noun referring to a motor vehicle.
Self-moving; self-propelled.
"The old automobile rolled down the hill on its own momentum after the driver let go of the clutch, proving it was truly self-propelled."
In plain English: There is no such thing as an automobile adjective because automobile is always a noun meaning a car.
"The automobile industry has changed how we live."
Usage: Automobile is strictly a noun and cannot be used as an adjective to modify another noun. Instead, use it only as a standalone name for a car or combine it with words like "automobile industry" where the noun itself describes the category.
The word "automobile" comes from the French term automobile, which combines Ancient Greek for "self" with a root meaning "moving." It entered English as a compound of these elements, literally describing a vehicle that moves itself.