Doorway

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈdɔɹweɪ/

Definitions

1. An opening in a wall that allows passage between rooms or from inside to outside of a building
2. An entrance or exit point formed by an opening in a wall, designed to allow movement between adjacent spaces or the outside
3. A structural gap in a wall that permits access into or out of a building or room

Etymology: "Doorway" is about as transparent as English compounds get: it joins "door" and "way," the second element meaning a passage or route. Put together, it names the route through a door, or the opening that the door fills. The word's parts both come from Old English, so this is a native formation rather than a borrowing from French or Latin. The more interesting part is how "way" ended up in the compound at all. In Old English, "weg" meant a road or track you travelled along, and it still carries that sense in words like "highway" and "pathway." Attaching it to "door" turned the door itself into a place you pass through, so the opening, not the panel, became the thing being named.

Synonyms: entrance, door, entryway, portal, threshold

Antonyms: exit, closure, blockage, barrier, obstruction