hatchbackn.
/ˈhatʃbak/, U.S. /ˈhætʃˌbæk/ Originally North American.
1. A large upward-opening rear door on a car, hinged at the top and extending across the full width of the vehicle.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > body or bodywork > rear part > lifting rear panel
lift-gate1948
tailgate1956
hatchback1970
hatch1978
1970 N.Y. Times Apr. 29 81/2 A hatchback is a combination back-window–trunk lid, hinged at the roof, that swings up to allow maximum access to the trunk space.
1988 D. Glover in M. Atwood Best Amer. Short Stories 1989 (1989) 178 We are both fumbling for door handles, heaving ourselves into the open air... I race to the hatchback to release the dogs.
1994 Esquire June 150/1 Some Saab quirks seemed just plain willful, like..calling the huge hatchback a ‘fifth door’.
2. A compact car with a large upward-opening rear door (see sense 1), giving access to storage space that can often be increased by folding down the rear seats.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > motor car > [noun] > with upward-opening rear door
hatchback1970
hatch1975
hot hatchback1983
hot hatch1984
1970 Time 21 Sept. 92 The basic list price of the Vega 2300..comes out to..$2,197 for a ‘hatchback’.
1976 B. Bova Multiple Man (1977) iv. 49 Little electric hatchbacks driven by young mothers out for their shopping.
1984 Daily Tel. 9 Oct. 10/3 The Escort is one of the few hatchbacks with a genuine Estate version.
2015 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 7 Mar. 8 Another car..crossed the centreline and hit a hatchback near Queenstown.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1970