Carriageway

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A part of a road designated for vehicular travel, usually comprising multiple lanes
2. An expanse of roadway intended for cars and other vehicles, often divided for efficient traffic flow
3. A portion of a road allocated for vehicle movement, typically supporting several lanes

Etymology: "Carriageway" is a plain compound: "carriage" joined to "way." The carriage part descends from a verb meaning to convey or carry, and it is ultimately rooted in the same ancient idea of moving or going that also gave English its word for a path. "Way" traces back through Old English "weġ" to a Proto-Germanic "wegaz," which meant a road or track, and this same root gave English "way" its sense of a route you travel along. Put together, the two parts describe a road made for vehicles to move along. A carriageway is therefore a portion of road set aside for vehicle traffic, often with several lanes, rather than simply any path on which something might travel. The word tells you its own job: it is the way on which carriages, and later all wheeled vehicles, run.

Synonyms: roadway, highway, thoroughfare

Antonyms: INVALID