road

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English

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EnglishWikipediahas an article on:
Wikipedia
Snowy road on Overwaitea Hill, Wallinger Avenue, Kimberley, BC.

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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FromMiddle Englishrode,rade(“ride, journey”),fromOld Englishrād(“riding, hostile incursion”),fromProto-West Germanic*raidu,fromProto-Germanic*raidō(“a ride”),fromProto-Indo-European*reydʰ-(“to ride”).Doubletofraid,acquired fromScots.Cognates include West Frisianreed(paved trail/road, driveway).

The current primary meaning of "street, way for traveling" originated relatively late—Shakespeare seemed to expect his audiences to find it unfamiliar—and probably arose through reinterpretation ofroadway"a way for riding on" as saying "way" twice, in other words as atautologicalcompound.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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road(pluralroads)

  1. Awayused fortravellingbetween places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually onesurfacedwithasphaltorconcreteand designed to accommodate manyvehiclestravelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a countrylane.[from 16th c.]
    • 1852,Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, inGraham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion‎[1],page266:
      In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-rememberedroad.
    • 1913,Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln,chapter I, inMr. Pratt’s Patients,New York, N.Y., London:D[aniel] Appleton and Company,→OCLC:
      I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to theroadI was hunting for.
    • 2018,Bill Wurtz (lyrics and music), “Long Long Long Journey” ‎[2]:
      And theroaddoesn't end / It's a long, longroadand we follow it again and again / And theroaddon't pretend
  2. (uncountable)Roads in general as a means of travel, especially bymotor vehicle.
    We travelled to the seaside byroad.
  3. (dated)A physical way or route.
    • 1855December –1857June, Charles Dickens,Little Dorrit,London:Bradbury and Evans,[…],published1857,→OCLC:
      He stirred up his hair with his sprightliest expression, glanced at the little figure again, said ‘Good evening, ma ‘am; don’t come down, Mrs Affery, I know theroadto the door,’ and steamed out.
    • 1930,Norman Lindsay,Redheap,Sydney, N.S.W.:Ure Smith,published1965,→OCLC,page131:
      Hetty and Mrs. Piper watched them with a lynx-eyed understanding and before the ancient was well upon hisroadhis way was blocked by Hetty.
  4. (figuratively)Apathchosen, as inlifeorcareer.[from 17th c.]
    theroadto happiness; theroadto success.
    • 1964,Ronald Reagan,A Time for Choosing:
      Where, then, is theroadto peace?
    • 2012September 7, Phil McNulty, “Moldova 0-5 England”,inBBC Sport:
      Hodgson may actually feel England could have scored even more but this was the perfect first step on theroadto Rio in 2014 and the ideal platform for the second qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley on Tuesday.
  5. An undergroundtunnelin amine.[from 18th c.]
  6. (US,rail transport)Arailwayor(UK,rail transport)a single railway track.[from 19th c.]
    • 1959November, “L.T. and E.R. developments in East London”, inTrains Illustrated,page527:
      The new depot, on which work started in May, 1956, has three receptionroadsleading to 13 sidings capable of taking 25 trains, a 450 ft.-long car examination shed with nineroads,a lifting shop with tworoadsand three permanent way sidings.
  7. (obsolete)The act ofridingonhorseback.[9th–17th c.]
  8. (obsolete)Ahostilerideagainst a particular area; araid.[9th–19th c.]
  9. (nautical,usually in theplural)A partlyshelteredarea of water near a shore in whichvesselsmay ride atanchor;aroadstead.[from 14th c.]
    • c.1596–1598(date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act V, scene i]:
      Antonio:Sweet lady, you have given me life and living; / For here I read for certain that my ships / Are safely come toroad.
    • 1630,John Smith,True Travels,Kupperman, published1988,page38:
      There delivering their fraught, they went to Scandaroone; rather to view what ships was in theRoade,than any thing else […].
  10. (obsolete)A journey, or stage of a journey.

Usage notes

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  • Often used interchangeably withstreetor other similar words. When usage is distinguished, a road is a route between settlements (reflecting the etymological relation withride), as in theGreat North Roadfrom London to Edinburgh, while a street is a route within a settlement (city or town), strictly speaking, paved.

Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Adjective

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road(notcomparable)

  1. (US,Canada,sports,chieflyattributive)At thevenueof theopposingteam orcompetitor;on the road.
  2. (cycling)Of or pertaining to aroad bike.
    roadtires
    roadgroupset

Synonyms

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  • (at the venue of the opposing team or competitor):away(UK)

Anagrams

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Estonian

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Noun

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road

  1. nominativepluralofroog

Swedish

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Participle

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road

  1. pastparticipleofroa

Adjective

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road(notcomparable)

  1. amused,entertained

Declension

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Inflection ofroad
Indefinite Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular road — —
Neuter singular roat — —
Plural roade — —
Masculine plural3 roade — —
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 roade — —
All roade — —
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic
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Anagrams

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