empty car; unloaded car
Archaic term for an empty or unloaded vehicle, likely referring to a cart or carriage in historical contexts. Not used in modern Japanese; the modern equivalent would be 空車 (くうしゃ).
In old documents, the word 空き車 is used to refer to a cart without a load.
Compound of 空き (あき, 'empty') + 車 (くるま, 'vehicle'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of noun-noun compounds in older Japanese.