Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “hēahweġ” come from?

hēahweġ (Old English) comes from Old English hēah, from Old English hām, from Proto-West Germanic haim, from Proto-Germanic haimaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóymos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- — to be lying down; to settle.

hēahweġ (Old English): main road, highway

Definitions

  1. main road, highway

Ancestry of “hēahweġ”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhēahhigh, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime,...
2Old Englishhāmhome; village, community; village, hamlet, manor,...
3Proto-West Germanichaimhome
4Proto-Germanichaimazhome; house; village
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱóymosof the home, belonging to the family; village,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱey-to be lying down; to settle

Words derived from “hēahweġ”

  • highway
  • highwayman
  • superhighway
  • nonhighway
  • antihighway
  • highwaywoman
  • highwayless
  • highwayed
  • semi-highway
  • heiȝwai
  • heiȝwei
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- →