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A coach is originally a large, usually closed, four-wheeled carriage with two or more horses harnessed as a ''team'', controlled by a coachman and/or one or more postilions. It had doors in the sides, with generally a front and a back seat inside and, for the driver, a small, usually elevated seat in front called a ''box, box seat'' or coach box. The term "coach" first came into use in the 15th century, and spread across Europe. There are a number of types of coaches, with differentiations based on use, location and size. Special breeds of horses, such as the now-extinct Yorkshire Coach Horse, were developed to pull the vehicles. ==History== Kocs (pronounced "kotch") was the Hungarian post town in the 15th century onwards, which gave its name to a fast light vehicle, which later spread across Europe. Therefore, the English word ''coach'', the Spanish and Portuguese ''coche'', the German ''Kutsche'', and the Slovak and Czech ''koč'' all probably derive from the Hungarian word "kocsi", literally meaning "of Kocs".〔(coach ) definition in CollinsDictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved November 12, 2012.〕〔(Definition "coach" in Merriam-Webster Dictionary ).〕 It was not until about the middle of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, that coaches were introduced to England. Coaches were introduced into England from France by Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel. A coach with four horses is a coach-and-four.〔(Definition of coach-and-four by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. ) Free access.〕 A coach together with the horses, harness and attendants is a turnout.〔(Turn out – Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. )〕 The bodies of early coaches, as of American Concord stagecoaches, were hung on leather straps. In the eighteenth century steel springs were substituted, an improvement in suspension. An advertisement in the ''Edinburgh Courant'' for 1754 reads: ''The Edinburgh stage-coach, for the better accommodation of passengers, will be altered to a new genteel two-end glass coach-machine, hung on steel springs, exceedingly light and easy...'' A coach might have a built-in compartment called a ''boot'', used originally as a seat for the coachman and later for storage. A luggage case for the top of a coach was called an ''imperial''; the top, roof or second-story compartment of a coach was also known as an imperial.〔(Definition of imperial by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. ) Free access.〕 The front and rear axles were connected by a main shaft called the ''perch'' or ''reach''. A crossbar known as a ''splinter bar'' supported the springs. Coaches were often decorated by painters using a sable brush called a ''liner''. In the 19th century the term ''coach'' was applied to railway carriages,〔Oxford English Dictionary〕 and later to motor coaches. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Coach (carriage)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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