From the name of the former French region of Limousin, of Limoges. The car's name is sometimes attributed to the engineer Charles Jeantaud, who was born in Limoges. In one way or another, the concept of a chauffeured vehicle has existed since the 1700s. Developed with the rich in mind, they started out as horse-drawn carriages, gilded in gold and dragged only by the best animals.
The word limousine is the feminine adjective formed from the word Limoges, which is the province of France that started it all. The notable feature that differentiates limousines from other vehicles (or in this case from wagons) is that the driver is in a compartment completely separate from his fare. Before vehicles, the word describes a particular type of carriage bonnet or roof that physically resembles the raised bonnet worn by shepherds. The word limousine in English is derived from the French name for the region called “Limousin”, a former administrative region in the central-southwest of France.
The word (derived from the Limoges region) originally referred to a hooded garment worn by French shepherds to protect themselves from bad weather. The word limousine is the feminine adjective formed from the word Limoges, which is the province of France that started it all. The word “limousine” was commonly used in France, long before the creation of the car that now bears that name.