gangway

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a passage for walking between rows of seats, shelves, cabins, or other confined areas

   Her suitcase blocked the gangway between the train seats.

2. 2
   noun

   a movable bridge, ramp, or stairway used for boarding or leaving a ship or aircraft

   The passengers waited while the crew secured the gangway to the ship.

3. 3
   intj

   used as a warning or command for people to move aside

   "Gangway!" shouted the medic as the stretcher came through the crowd.

From Middle English gangway and Old English gangweg, "passageway" or "thoroughfare," formed from gang, "going or passage," + way. The boarding structure, interior aisle, and shouted command all retain the central idea of a clear route for movement.

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