gondola

GON'DOLA, n. A flat-bottomed boat, very long and narrow, used at Venice in Italy on the canals. A gondola of middle size is about thirty feet long and four broad, terminating at each end in a sharp point or peak rising to the highth of a man. It is usually rowed by two men, called gondoliers, who propel the boat by pushing the oars. The gondola is also used in other parts of Italy for a passage boat.