subway

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsʌbˌweɪ/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from sub- and way.^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

An underground passage, for water pipes, gas pipes or pedestrians: 1822 in Merriam-Webster, 1825 in Barnhart, Etymonline and the OED.^[5][2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

Later the passages also carried electrical wires.^[3] An underground railway in a city is first recorded in American English in 1893,^[2][6] although Etymonline finds it by 1892 in reference to London.^[3] The verb, to travel by subway, is North American colloquial from 1929.^[6] In Britain a subway is chiefly a pedestrian tunnel under a road, and in North America an underground railway.^[7]

Timeline

• 1822 – first known use.^[5]
• 1825 – an underground passage.^[6]
• 1893 – an underground railway.^[6]
• 1929 – to travel by subway.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (chiefly US, Canada) An underground railway in a city, or its tunnel.
2. (British) An underground passage for pedestrians to cross a road or railway.
3. An underground tunnel for pipes, cables or traffic.

Related words

• underground
• metro
• tunnel
• underpass

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins