Historians wanted to know the etymology of the term 'gondola', so their desire created polemics and ideas that aren't certain up to the present. At first historians were convinced that the origin of the term 'gondola' came from the corruption of some words, like 'conchula' or ' cymbula', present in ancient Greek writings. Modern philologists say that the word 'gondola' may either come from the Latin 'cunula', term which means an oscillating thing or from the Venetian word 'gonda'. 'Gondola' may derive from the French term 'gondole' which means the name of a small cup with the same shape as the Venetian gondola, but it is more likely for the latter to have derived its name from the world famous swing boat.
There are many other theories about the etymology of the term 'gondola' but the only certain thing is that the first historical record dates back to 1094: it is a document called 'privilegium'; by which the Doge Vital Falier dispensed Loreo's community from keeping a gondola at his own disposal. At the same time, in another document, there is a 'platus cohopertus cum felçe' from which we guess this object was a rowing-boat with a flat bottom and a shed in the center.
It was not until the XIII century that the term 'gondola' comes up again, it was on occasion of the 'Statum de Potestate Clugie'.
As a conclusion, we can say the etymology isn't certain; however, the sound emitted while pronuncing this word, evokes poetry and elegance, thus mirroring faithfully the characteristics of the typical rowing-boat of Venice.