Holway

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A deep, sunken lane worn into the ground over time by traffic and erosion, with steep banks rising on either side
2. An old road that has been lowered by generations of wheels and weather, leaving high earthen banks along its edges
3. A hollowed-out track running between raised banks, formed when centuries of passing feet and rain wore the ground away

Etymology: "Holway" is a compound of two Old English words: "holh", meaning "hollow", and "weg", meaning "way". The name describes exactly what the thing is: a road that has worn down below the level of the land around it, leaving its banks standing on either side. Over centuries of foot and cart traffic, the surface sinks, often into a deep, sheltered channel. The word has a close relative in "holloway", which is the same compound with the older spelling and is a doublet of "holway", meaning both came down to English by different routes from the same source. Both forms survive in English place names, where they usually mark an old lane or track that has become a hollow way.