avenue

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A wide street in a town or city, often lined with trees.

   They live on a quiet, tree-lined avenue.

2. 2
   noun

   A way of approaching or achieving something.

   There are several avenues we can explore to solve this problem.

Simplified etymology

Avenue is related to revenue and ultimately belongs to the family of Latin venire, meaning “to come.” In the early 17th century it meant a way of approaching a problem. It then developed a mainly military sense of a way to gain access to a place, followed by the sense of a formal approach to a country house. Its use for a wide street arose only in the mid-19th century.

Borrowed from French avenue, from Old French avenue, feminine past participle of avenir (“approach”), from Latin adveniō, advenīre (“come to”, from ad (“to”) + veniō, venīre (“come”)).

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External links

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