Dromos

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈdɹɒˌmɒs/

Definitions

1. A passage or course, often an ancient or architectural pathway, used for movement or transit ; a racing track or corridor typically found in historical or archaeological sites ; a channel or avenue facilitating travel or procession in various contexts
2. A corridor or route designed for passage, commonly referring to an ancient road or entrance ; a pathway specifically for races or processions in cultural or historic settings ; an architectural or natural passage enabling movement between places or structures
3. A defined route or entranceway, frequently associated with classical or ancient architecture ; a lane or path used for competitive running or ceremonial transit ; a thoroughfare or conduit through which individuals or groups proceed from one location to another

Etymology: Ancient Greek "drómos" meant "running" or "racecourse," and it came from the verb "trékhein," to run. The Greeks used the word for the track where athletes raced, a sense that stuck with it as it passed into English as a term for a long, straight passage. Its most famous English use comes from archaeology, where it names the sloping, stone-lined entrance corridors of Mycenaean tholos tombs, such as the one at Mycenae known as the Treasury of Atreus. Over time the word narrowed from the act of running to the ground on which running took place, and then widened again to any designed passage that guides movement, whether a processional way to a temple or a tunnel into a burial chamber. The archaeological sense is the one most readers will meet, since it turns a plain Greek word for a racetrack into a name for an ancient doorway that leads deep into the earth.

Synonyms: passage, corridor, avenue, hallway, pathway