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intermodal

/ˌɪntərˈmoʊdəl/
IPA guide

Intermodal means using more than one form of transportation, especially to ship goods from one place to another. Intermodal shipment might include both a train and a cargo ship.

Intermodal usually describes the overseas shipping industry: goods might be sent in a shipping container that starts on a freight train, is moved to a ship, and is finally loaded onto a truck. For passenger travel, an intermodal trip might involve taking the bus to the train station, then traveling by rail to the airport. Intermodal, coined in the mid-20th century, comes from inter-, "between," and modal, "pertaining to a mode or variety."

Definitions of intermodal
  1. adjective
    involving two or more types of transport for delivering a shipment, such as trucking and railway
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