Railroads

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A system of tracks and vehicles designed for transporting goods or passengers across distances
2. A network of rail tracks and associated facilities used for the movement of freight or people
3. An organized means of land transportation consisting of steel tracks and trains for efficient travel and shipping

Etymology: "Railroads" is the plural of "railroad," a compound of "rail" and "road." The first element is the old word for a bar or strip of wood or metal, here the iron strips laid along the ground for wheels to run on, while "road" supplies the sense of a route for travel. Joined together, the pair names a track on which wheeled vehicles run, and the term came to cover the whole system of such tracks along with the stations and yards that served them. The plural form simply counts multiple such networks or lines, so "railroads" can refer to several separate companies or systems at once. Its origin is plain: a straightforward English compound built from two existing words, with no borrowing from another language involved.

Synonyms: tracks, railways, trains, lines, routes