Where does “headway” come from?

Headway comes from Middle English hauedwei, from Old English hēafodweġ, literally meaning "head way" or "way of the head."

headway (English): Movement ahead or forward; Forward motion, or its...

Definitions

  1. Movement ahead or forward; Forward motion, or its...

Ancestry of “headway”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhauedwei—
2Old Englishhēafodweġhead-road, main-road
3Old Englishweġway; path; way, road, path
4Proto-West Germanicwegway, road
5Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wēgaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic weg →