Etymologically
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speedway

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 02:57. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈspiːdweɪ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English speed + way.[2][3][4] Dictionary.com marks it as an Americanism.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A track or road prepared for fast driving with horses, in the United States: 1894, in the New York Voice;[2][5] Etymonline dates the public road set aside for fast driving to 1892.[3]

Semantic evolution

The first speedways were American roads laid out for racing trotting horses, a sense the OED now treats as historical.[2][3] With the motor car the word passed to a road on which vehicles may travel fast (1903), and so to a motorway or expressway in general.[2][5] From 1925 it meant a racing track for cars or motorcycles,[2][3] and since 1930 the sport of motorcycle racing over a few laps of a short oval dirt or cinder track.[2][6] In American and Canadian English the word is still used for a car racetrack and for a road built for fast traffic.[6][5]

Timeline

  • 1894 – a road or track for fast horse-driving (United States).[2][5] Etymonline has the public road from 1892.[3]
  • 1903 – a road on which motor vehicles may travel fast.[2]
  • 1925 – a racing track for motor vehicles.[2][3]
  • 1930 – motorcycle racing on a short oval dirt track.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The sport of racing light, powerful motorcycles round a short oval cinder or dirt track: a speedway meeting.[6][2]
  2. The track or stadium where such races, or car races, are held.[6][5][2]
  3. (US, Canada) A road built for fast driving; an expressway.[6][5][2]
  4. (historical, US) A road set aside for fast driving with horses.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins