Headway

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhɛdweɪ/

Definitions

1. The act of making progress in a journey or project signifies movement forward and the successful advancement toward goals or milestones
2. A term that describes the progress achieved during a task or journey illustrates the improvement or advancement in achieving objectives or overcoming obstacles
3. The term refers to the progress made in a particular endeavor or journey, indicating forward movement and the successful attainment of desired outcomes or milestones

Etymology: The sense "steady forward progress" comes from the sea. Sailors used "headway" for a ship's forward movement through the water, the motion that carries it ahead against the wind and current. The word is a shortening of "ahead-way," so the nautical sense is the one that gave us the modern meaning, and the forward motion of a vessel became a figure for any project or effort moving onward. The word has an older, land-based past too. Old English had "hēafodweġ," literally "head-road" or main road, and Middle English "hauedwei" carried that sense forward. Two separate strands, one from the highway and one from the harbour, eventually merged into the single word we use now, and the English language kept both the main-road meaning and the nautical one alive until the sea-going sense took over.

Synonyms: progress, advancement, gain

Antonyms: setback, hindrance