highway

A2 Topic:Transportation

US /ˈhaɪweɪ/ See IPA manual

Freq #3708

Meanings

1

noun
A main public road, especially a wide, fast one connecting towns and cities.

We drove for hours along the busy highway.
2

noun
Any public road that people can travel on.

It is illegal to leave your car parked on the highway.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a main public road,... main road

Word family

Forms highways

Derived forms antihighwayhighway-robberyhighwaylesshighwaylikehighwaymanhighwaywomanhijacknonhighwaysemi-highwaysuperhighway

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

divided highway
a road with opposing streams of traffic separated by a central barrier or strip

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English heiȝwai, heiȝwei, from Old English hēahweġ (“main road, highway”), corresponding to high + way. Compare highgate, high street, high road. Cognate with Scots heaway, heway, hieway, hichway, heichway (“highway”).

heiȝwai Middle English hēahweġ Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Transportation

External links

# highway

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈhaɪweɪ/
**Frequency rank:** 3708

## Meanings
1. A main public road, especially a wide, fast one connecting towns and cities.
2. Any public road that people can travel on.

## Examples
- We drove for hours along the busy highway.
- It is illegal to leave your car parked on the highway.

## Derived Forms
- antihighway
- highway-robbery
- highwayless
- highwaylike
- highwayman
- highwaywoman
- hijack
- nonhighway
- semi-highway
- superhighway

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: heiȝwai
- Root: hēahweġ

## Etymology
From Middle English heiȝwai, heiȝwei, from Old English hēahweġ (“main road, highway”), corresponding to high + way. Compare highgate, high street, high road. Cognate with Scots heaway, heway, hieway, hichway, heichway (“highway”).

## AI Etymology
Highway comes from Middle English heiȝwai, heiȝwei, from Old English hēahweġ (“main road, highway”), corresponding to high + way. Compare highgate, high street, high road. Cognate with Scots heaway, heway, hieway, hichway, heichway (“highway”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named elements. In current use, the main senses are “A main public road, especially a wide, fast one connecting towns and cities” and “Any public road that people can travel on”.

## Topics
- Transportation

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