Footbridge

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfʊtˌbɹɪd͡ʒ/

Definitions

1. A pathway built to allow pedestrians to cross above various obstacles like streams or highways safely
2. A pedestrian pathway that is elevated and designed to allow safe crossing over obstacles such as roads or bodies of water is known as a specific type of bridge
3. A structure designed for people to walk across, spanning an obstruction like a road or river

Etymology: Footbridge is about as transparent as English compounds get: "foot" plus "bridge," with the first element naming the users rather than the material or the function. The sense is literal. A footbridge is a structure built only for people on foot, not carts, horses or traffic, and the word has kept that distinction for centuries. The compound is recorded in Middle English as "fot-brigge," which shows the two parts were already joined in the language of the late medieval period. The older element "bridge," from Old English "brycg," is itself an ancient word for a crossing, and "foot" was the ordinary term for the human foot. Put together, they describe exactly what the structure is for.

Synonyms: pedestrian bridge, walkway, footpath, overpass, crosswalk