road

English

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road

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• rade (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English rode, rade (“ride, journey”), from Old English rād (“riding, hostile incursion”), from Proto-West Germanic *raidu, from Proto-Germanic *raidō (“a ride”), from Proto-Indo-European *reydʰ- (“to ride”). Doublet of raid, acquired from Scots, and West Frisian reed (paved trail/road, driveway).

The current primary meaning of "street, way for traveling" originated relatively late—Shakespeare seemed to expect his audiences to find it unfamiliar—and probably arose through reinterpretation of roadway "a way for riding on" as saying "way" twice, in other words as a tautological compound.

Pronunciation

• (General American) enPR: rōd, IPA^(key): /ɹoʊd/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: rōd, IPA^(key): /ɹəʊd/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

  • Audio (London)

    (file)

• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /rod/
• Rhymes: -əʊd
• Homophones: Rhode, rode (general), rowed (except Scotland)

Noun

road (plural roads)

1. A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane.
   • 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion‎, page 266:

     In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for.

2. (uncountable) Roads in general as a means of travel, especially by motor vehicle.

   We travelled to the seaside by road.

3. (dated) A physical way or route.
   • 1855 December – 1857 June, Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit, London: Bradbury and Evans, , published 1857, →OCLC:

     He stirred up his hair with his sprightliest expression, glanced at the little figure again, said ‘Good evening, ma ‘am; don’t come down, Mrs Affery, I know the road to the door,’ and steamed out.

   • 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1965, →OCLC, page 131:

     Hetty and Mrs. Piper watched them with a lynx-eyed understanding and before the ancient was well upon his road his way was blocked by Hetty.

4. (figuratively) A path chosen, as in life or career.

   the road to happiness; the road to success.

   • 1964, Ronald Reagan, A Time for Choosing:

     Where, then, is the road to peace?

   • 2012 September 7, Phil McNulty, “Moldova 0-5 England”, in BBC Sport:

     Hodgson may actually feel England could have scored even more but this was the perfect first step on the road to Rio in 2014 and the ideal platform for the second qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley on Tuesday.

5. An underground tunnel in a mine.
6. (US, rail transport) A railway or (UK, rail transport) a single railway track.
   • 1959 November, “L.T. and E.R. developments in East London”, in Trains Illustrated, page 527:

     The new depot, on which work started in May, 1956, has three reception roads leading to 13 sidings capable of taking 25 trains, a 450 ft.-long car examination shed with nine roads, a lifting shop with two roads and three permanent way sidings.

7. (obsolete) The act of riding on horseback.
8. (obsolete) A hostile ride against a particular area; a raid.
9. (nautical, often in the plural) A partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor; a roadstead.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     Antonio: Sweet lady, you have given me life and living; / For here I read for certain that my ships / Are safely come to road.

   • 1630, John Smith, True Travels, Kupperman, published 1988, page 38:

     There delivering their fraught, they went to Scandaroone; rather to view what ships was in the Roade, than any thing else […].

10. (obsolete) A journey, or stage of a journey.
    • 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

      At last, with easy roads, he came to Leicester; / Lodg'd in the abbey, where the reverend abbot, / With all his convent, honourably receiv'd him; […]

Usage notes

Often used interchangeably with street or other similar words. When usage is distinguished, a road is a route between settlements (reflecting the etymological relation with ride), as in the Great North Road from London to Edinburgh, while a street is a route within a settlement (city or town), strictly speaking, paved.

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:road

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

road (not comparable)

1. (US, Canada, sports, chiefly attributive) At the venue of the opposing team or competitor; on the road.
2. (cycling) Of or pertaining to a road bike.

   road tires

   road groupset

Synonyms

• (at the venue of the opposing team or competitor): away (UK)

Anagrams

• A-Rod, Dora, Rado, orad, orda

Estonian

Noun

road

1. nominative plural of roog

Swedish

Participle

road

1. past participle of roa

Adjective

road (not comparable)

1. amused, entertained

Declension

Related terms

• lättroad
• oroad

Anagrams

• orda