Etymologically
Log in

walkway

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the English word walkway

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1792
Ultimate origins
Middle English walkenEnglish way
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English walk
English walkway
From the same root
English boardwalk ← walk
English sidewalk ← walk

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈwɔːkˌweɪ/[1]
  • US: /ˈwɔkˌweɪ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English walk + way,[2][3][4] from either the verb or the noun walk,[2][5] originally in American English.[5][4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A path for walking along: 1792, in a document later printed in the Historical Collections of the Essex Institute.[2][6] Etymonline dates it to 1865,[3] and Dictionary.com to 1785–95.[4]

Semantic evolution

The first sense was a path or walk, especially one in a garden or park; later also a path built to lead sightseers through a scenic area.[2][5][6] From 1813 it was also a passageway joining parts of a building or separate buildings, especially one raised above the ground or keeping walkers apart from traffic,[2][5] and in factories a passage for workers to walk on, as above machinery.[6][7]

Timeline

  • 1792 – a path for walking along.[2][6]
  • 1813 – a pedestrian passageway linking parts of a building or separate buildings.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A path or passage for walking, especially one through a garden or park, or a sidewalk: A gravel walkway led down to the lake.[6][7][2]
  2. A passageway linking buildings or parts of a building, often raised above the ground.[7][2][5]
  3. A passage for workers to walk on in a factory or other workplace, as over machinery.[7][6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Walkway.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/walkway. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·