Autobahns

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. High-speed roadways in Germany designed for long-distance travel with no specific speed limits
2. Extensive highway system in Germany intended for fast vehicular traffic and efficient transportation
3. Major thoroughfares in Germany where vehicles can move at high speeds, facilitating quick travel between cities

Etymology: The German "Autobahn" is a compound of "Auto," short for "Automobil," and "Bahn," meaning "road" or "track" (the same "Bahn" that gives German its word for railway). The first element traces back through French "automobile," itself built from Greek "autos" ("self") and Latin "mobilis" ("movable," from "movere," "to move"), so the whole word is a hybrid of Greek and Latin parts. The original sense of "Bahn" was a path or course, which is why it can refer to a road as easily as to a railway line. The plural "Autobahnen" is the standard German form, and English speakers have kept the German plural form "autobahns" in use. The English noun was borrowed directly from German, so it retains the German word's meaning of a high-speed, limited-access highway rather than the general sense of any car road.