English Online Dictionary. What means road? What does road mean?
English
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. Cognates include 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
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: rōd, IPA(key): /ɹəʊd/
- (General American) enPR: rōd, IPA(key): /ɹoʊd/
- (Scotland) IPA(key): /rod/
- Homophones: Rhode, rode (general), rowed (except Scotland)
- Rhymes: -əʊd
Noun
road (plural roads)
- 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. [from 16th c.]
- (uncountable) Roads in general as a means of travel, especially by motor vehicle.
- (dated) A physical way or route.
- (figuratively) A path chosen, as in life or career. [from 17th c.]
- An underground tunnel in a mine. [from 18th c.]
- (US, rail transport) A railway or (UK, rail transport) a single railway track. [from 19th c.]
- (obsolete) The act of riding on horseback. [9th–17th c.]
- (obsolete) A hostile ride against a particular area; a raid. [9th–19th c.]
- (nautical, usually in the plural) A partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor; a roadstead. [from 14th c.]
- (obsolete) A journey, or stage of a journey.
- (cricket) A hard, flat pitch, typically favourable for batters.
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)
- (US, Canada, sports, chiefly attributive) At the venue of the opposing team or competitor; on the road.
- (cycling) Of or pertaining to a road bike.
Synonyms
- (at the venue of the opposing team or competitor): away (UK)
Anagrams
- orad, A-Rod, Rado, orda, Dora, DORA
Estonian
Noun
road
- nominative plural of roog
Swedish
Participle
road
- past participle of roa
Adjective
road (not comparable)
- amused, entertained
Declension
Related terms
- lättroad
- oroad
Anagrams
- orda