Freeway

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfɹiː.weɪ/

Definitions

1. A major thoroughfare built for high-speed vehicular travel, which typically lacks intersections and traffic signals
2. A type of multi-lane road designed for rapid motor vehicle movement, often with limited access points and no traffic signals present
3. A large, uninterrupted road system intended for fast travel by cars and trucks, featuring on-ramps and off-ramps for entry and exit

Etymology: "Freeway" is a plain compound of "free" and "way," and its history is mostly a matter of what the parts meant. "Free" comes from Old English "frēo," which carried the sense of being unrestricted or not under another's control, and "way" is the ordinary word for a path or route. Put together, the sense was a road a traveler could use without obstruction, which is close to the modern meaning of a road with no tolls or crossings to stop the traffic. The compound's appeal lies in that original sense, which the modern road has largely reversed. Where "free" once described a road open to all without a toll gate, the word now names a highway whose defining feature is that it is controlled-access: entry and exit happen only at ramps, and cross traffic is kept out. The "free" in the name therefore refers to uninterrupted movement rather than to cost.

Synonyms: highway, interstate, motorway

Antonyms: side street, alley