1. Chemin. Une route large.
2. Itinéraire. La route des vacances.
3. Distance. Une route de cinq cent kilomètres.
(British) A major highway.
Any road used for automobile traffic open to the public, especially a main road or thoroughfare.A major road for any form of motor transport; SYN. main road.
ETYM French, from Late Lat. pavamentum, Latin pavimentum. Related to Pave.
The paved surface of a thoroughfare; SYN. paving.
ETYM as. râd a riding, that on which one rides or travels, a road, from rîdan to ride. Related to Ride, Raid.
1. A way or means to achieve something.
2. An open way (generally public) for travel or transportation; SYN. route.
Specially constructed route for wheeled vehicles to travel on.
Reinforced tracks became necessary with the invention of wheeled vehicles in about 3000 BC and most ancient civilizations had some form of road network. The Romans developed engineering techniques that were not equaled for another 1,400 years.
Until the late 18th century most European roads were haphazardly maintained, making winter travel difficult. In the UK the turnpike system of collecting tolls created some improvement. The Scottish engineers Thomas Telford and John McAdam introduced sophisticated construction methods in the early 19th century. Recent developments have included durable surface compounds and machinery for rapid ground preparation.
In the US, the first roads were paved in colonial times, first with logs (corduroy roads), later with cobblestones and Belgian building blocks or brick, depending on the region. With the advent of motor vehicles, roads were constructed to reduce time spent draining, fixing flat tires, and seeking services; highways, parkways, freeways, and interstates now offer multilane, landscaped roads, with service areas at roadside, including motels, restaurants, and service stations.
ETYM Old Eng. and French route, Old Fren. rote, from Latin rupta (sc. via), from ruptus, p. p. of rumpere to break; hence, literally, a broken or beaten way or path. Related to Rout, Rut a track.
(Homonym: rout).
1. A line of travel; course.
2. An established or selected course of travel or action; an assigned territory to be systematically covered.
3. A traveled way; highway; a means of access; channel.
ETYM Old Eng. strete, as. straet, from Latin strata (sc. via) a paved way, properly fem. p. p. of sternere, stratum, to spread; akin to Eng. strew. Related to Strew, Stratum, Stray.
1. A thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings.
2. The part of a thoroughfare between the sidewalks; the part of the thoroughfare on which vehicles travel.
3. People living or working on the same street.
4. The streets of a city viewed as a depressed environment in which there is poverty and crime and prostitution and dereliction.
5. (Informal) A situation offering opportunities.