Where does “highway” come from?
Highway comes from Middle English heiȝwai, from Old English hēahweġ, a compound of hēah (high) and weġ (way).
highway (English): A main, direct public road, especially a...
Definitions
- A main, direct public road, especially a...
Ancestry of “highway”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | heiȝwai | — |
| 2 | Old English | hēahweġ | main road, highway |
| 3 | Old English | hēah | high, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime,... |
| 4 | Old English | hām | home; village, community; village, hamlet, manor,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | haim | home |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | haimaz | home; house; village |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóymos | of the home, belonging to the family; village,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱey- | to be lying down; to settle |