underway

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʌndəˈweɪ/ (UK); /ʌndəɹˈweɪ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is the phrase under way written as one word, from under and way,^[2][3] perhaps after Dutch onderweg (“on the way”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of ships, having begun to move: 1749 in Etymonline, the mid-18th century in the Shorter Oxford;^[2][4] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1743.^[3] The one-word spelling is in the OED from 1934.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Of projects and activities, begun and in progress, it is attested from 1935.^[2][5]

Timeline

• 1743 – under way (Merriam-Webster).^[3]
• 1749 – of a ship in motion.^[2]
• 1934 – underway as one word.^[5]
• 1935 – of a project in progress.^[2][5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Having started and in progress: the project is well underway.
2. Of a ship or vehicle, moving.

Related words

• under
• way
• afoot

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press