alley

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a narrow road or passage, especially between or behind buildings

   The delivery entrance is halfway down the alley.

2. 2
   noun

   a path in a garden or park, often bordered by rows of trees or bushes

   They followed a shaded alley through the formal garden.

3. 3
   noun

   a long narrow lane or area used in a sport, especially the lane down which a bowling ball is rolled

   The ball rolled straight down the center of the alley.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Alley dates from the late Middle English period and is traced to the Latin root ambulare, meaning “to walk,” also found in amble and ambulance.

From Middle English aleye, from Anglo-Norman aleie, the feminine past participle of aler ("to go"), source of French aller. Its earliest sense was a place for walking or passage; urban and sporting senses developed from that narrow-path idea. Doublet of allée.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary