A carriage is a vehicle with wheels that's pulled by horses, used to transport people before cars were invented. Picture a fancy enclosed box on wheels with cushioned seats inside, large wooden wheels, and one or more horses harnessed to the front. Wealthy families in the 1800s traveled around cities in elegant carriages, and Cinderella's pumpkin transformed into a beautiful carriage in the fairy tale.

Different types of carriages had different names and purposes. A stagecoach was a large carriage that carried passengers and mail between towns. A buggy was a lighter, simpler carriage. Some carriages were open to the air, while others had roofs and doors to protect passengers from the weather.

The word also appears in other contexts. On a typewriter or printer, the carriage is the moving part that holds the paper. Someone's carriage can also mean how they hold their body while standing or walking: “She walked with the upright carriage of a dancer.”

While carriages are rare today except for ceremonies, weddings, or tourist rides, they were as common in 1850 as cars are now. City streets were full of them, and people hired carriages the way we might call a taxi.