Where does “open road” come from?

open road (English) comes from English road, from Middle English rode, from Old English rād, from Proto-West Germanic raidu, from Proto-Germanic raidō, from Proto-Germanic rīdaną, from Proto-Indo-European rēydʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- — to fit, to fix, to put together.

open road (English): The part of the road system that is away from urban and suburban areas and on which large distances can be travelled without needing to frequently slow for traffic or intersections

Definitions

  1. The part of the road system that is away from urban and suburban areas and on which large distances can be travelled without needing to frequently slow for traffic or intersections

Ancestry of “open road”, step by step

open road traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English road

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishroadA way used for travelling between places,...
2Middle EnglishrodeA cross or gibbet; The cross of Christ; The cross...
3Old Englishrādroad; riding, hostile incursion; riding, road
4Proto-West Germanicraiduriding, ride
5Proto-Germanicraidōride, journey; name of the R-rune
6Proto-Germanicrīdanąto ride
7Proto-Indo-Europeanrēydʰ-
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

via English open

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishopenNot closed; Not physically drawn together,...
2Middle Englishopenopen
3Old Englishopenopen
4Proto-West Germanic*opanopen
5Proto-Germanicupanazopen
6Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er-Every word from Proto-Indo-European rēydʰ-Every word from Proto-Germanic rīdaną
open road — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer