Where does “roadway” come from?
Roadway comes from Middle English radewey, a compound of rode (road) and wey (way), ultimately from Germanic roots meaning a path or route for traveling.
roadway (English): A way used as a road; The main or central portion...
Definitions
- A way used as a road; The main or central portion...
Ancestry of “roadway”, step by step
roadway traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English road
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | road | A way used for travelling between places,... |
| 2 | Middle English | rode | A cross or gibbet; The cross of Christ; The cross... |
| 3 | Old English | rād | road; riding, hostile incursion; riding, road |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | raidu | riding, ride |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | raidō | ride, journey; name of the R-rune |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rīdaną | to ride |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | rēydʰ- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |
via English Way
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Way | Christianity |
| 2 | Middle English | way | — |
| 3 | Old English | weġ | way; path; way, road, path |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | weg | way, road |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wēgaz | wave; sea |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |
via Middle English rodeway
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rodeway | — |