DCHP-2

snowmobile [< Snowmobile, a trademark snow + automobile] DCHP-2 (November 2016)

• 1 n. & adj. — Transportation, Outdoors, especially Prince Edward Island

  a personal over-snow motor vehicle equipped with skis at the front and a treaded endless track at the back (see Image 1).

  Type: 5. Frequency — As seen in Chart 1, in the North American context snowmobile is far more frequent in Canada than in the US. There is evidence that in the urban centres snowmobile has pushed back skidoo, the original Canadian form, which is still the most common form in the North. The smaller version, compared to the bigger cargo models (see meaning 2), is the most common model today. Given the evidence from Chart 2, snowmobile can be considered a PEIism.
  See also Gage-5, which marks all meanings "Cdn"; not marked in ITP Nelson and COD-2.

  See also: bombardier ((2))  motor toboggan  skidoo  

• 2 n. — Transportation, Outdoors

  a large tracked vehicle designed to carry persons and cargo across country over snow and ice (see Image 2).

  Type: 4. Culturally Significant — In Northern Canada, bigger cargo snowmobiles are an important mode of transport.

  See also: snow tractor