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lane

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /leɪn/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English lane,[2] inherited from Old English lane, lanu “narrow hedged-in road”,[3][2][4] a common Germanic word of unknown origin,[3][2][5] related to Old Frisian lana, Middle Dutch lāne, Dutch laan “lane, avenue”, and Old Norse lǫn “oblong hayrick”, in modern use “row of houses”.[3][2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A narrow way between hedges or banks, or between houses: 971 in the OED and Barnhart.[7][2] It appears as a surname from 1176.[2]

Semantic evolution

Any well-defined track, as a passage through ice at sea, is from the early 15th century,[3] about 1420 in the OED.[7] A passage between two lines of people is from 1525.[7] The proverb it is a long lane that has no turning is from 1778.[7] A runner's course in athletics is from 1909,[7] and a strip of road for one line of vehicles from 1921 in American English[3] and 1926 in the OED.[7] In bowling a lane is an alley, from 1960.[7] In parts of Scotland a lane was also the slow, smooth course of a meadow stream.[8]

Timeline

  • 971 – a narrow road.[7][2]
  • 1176 – as a surname.[2]
  • c. 1420 – a track, as through ice.[7]
  • 1525 – a passage through a crowd.[7]
  • 1909 – an athletics lane.[7]
  • 1921 – a traffic lane.[3]
  • 1960 – a bowling lane.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A narrow road, especially in the country.
  2. A narrow passage between walls, hedges or fences.
  3. A strip of road for a single line of vehicles.
  4. A set course for ships or aircraft: a shipping lane.
  5. A marked strip of a track or pool for one competitor.
  6. A wooden floor down which bowling balls are rolled; an alley.

Word family

  • bylane
  • laneway
  • multilane
  • sea-lane
  • air lane
  • diamond lane
  • fast lane
  • alley

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)