Where does “roadbed” come from?

Roadbed comes from English road and bed, where bed derives from Middle English rade, Old English bedd, Proto-Germanic badją, and Proto-Indo-European bʰedʰ-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European reydʰ-.

roadbed (English): The prepared location for a road, including its...

Definitions

  1. The prepared location for a road, including its...

Ancestry of “roadbed”, step by step

roadbed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bed

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbedA piece of furniture, usually flat and soft, on...
2Middle EnglishbedA place of rest or sleep
3Old Englishbeddbed
4Proto-West Germanicbadibed
5Persianبدیbadness
6Persianبدbad; not good; evil; poorly, badly
7Middle Persian𐭯𐭥𐭭to; at; in
8Proto-Iranianpati-against, toward; lord
9Proto-Iranian*rādi-
10Proto-Iranian*rād-
11Proto-Indo-IranianHraHdʰ-
12Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₁dʰ-to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish
13Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂reh₁-to think, reason; to arrange
14Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

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-Indo-Europeanh₃reyH-to move, set in motion
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃er-to move, to stir; to rise, to spring; to quarrel,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂reh₁-Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₁dʰ-