"byway" meaning in English

See byway in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈbaɪweɪ/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-byway.wav Forms: byways [plural]
Rhymes: -aɪweɪ Etymology: From Middle English bywey, equivalent to by- + way. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|bywey}} Middle English bywey, {{af|en|by-|way}} by- + way Head templates: {{en-noun}} byway (plural byways)
  1. A road or track not following a main route; a secondary or minor road or path. Categories (topical): Roads
    Sense id: en-byway-en-noun-pWdh9cyg Disambiguation of Roads: 62 31 7
  2. A road that is not frequently travelled.
    Sense id: en-byway-en-noun-OQXuDTfG Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms prefixed with by-, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 30 47 23 Disambiguation of English terms prefixed with by-: 30 45 25 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 30 47 23 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 29 48 23 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 29 48 23
  3. (by extension) a little-known or arcane field of study or detail. Tags: broadly
    Sense id: en-byway-en-noun-0avtqnno
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: by-way, byeway Derived forms: restricted byway

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "restricted byway"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bywey"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bywey",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "by-",
        "3": "way"
      },
      "expansion": "by- + way",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English bywey, equivalent to by- + way.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "byways",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "byway (plural byways)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "62 31 7",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Roads",
          "orig": "en:Roads",
          "parents": [
            "Road transport",
            "Transport",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: back road, back street, back lane"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A road or track not following a main route; a secondary or minor road or path."
      ],
      "id": "en-byway-en-noun-pWdh9cyg",
      "links": [
        [
          "road",
          "road"
        ],
        [
          "track",
          "track"
        ],
        [
          "main",
          "main"
        ],
        [
          "secondary",
          "secondary"
        ],
        [
          "minor",
          "minor"
        ],
        [
          "path",
          "path"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "30 47 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 45 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms prefixed with by-",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 47 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "29 48 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "29 48 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Coordinate term: backwater"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A road that is not frequently travelled."
      ],
      "id": "en-byway-en-noun-OQXuDTfG",
      "links": [
        [
          "frequently",
          "frequently"
        ],
        [
          "travelled",
          "travelled"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Coordinate term: backwater"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013 September 14, Jane Shilling, “The Golden Thread: the Story of Writing, by Ewan Clayton, review [print edition: Illuminating language]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review), page R29:",
          "text": "Though his account of written communication over the past 5,000 years necessarily has a powerful forward momentum, his diversions down the fascinating byways of the subject are irresistible ...",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "a little-known or arcane field of study or detail."
      ],
      "id": "en-byway-en-noun-0avtqnno",
      "links": [
        [
          "arcane",
          "arcane"
        ],
        [
          "field of study",
          "field of study"
        ],
        [
          "detail",
          "detail"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension) a little-known or arcane field of study or detail."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbaɪweɪ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-byway.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-byway.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-byway.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-byway.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-byway.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-aɪweɪ"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "by-way"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "byeway"
    }
  ],
  "word": "byway"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms prefixed with by-",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/aɪweɪ",
    "Rhymes:English/aɪweɪ/2 syllables",
    "en:Roads"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "restricted byway"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bywey"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bywey",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "by-",
        "3": "way"
      },
      "expansion": "by- + way",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English bywey, equivalent to by- + way.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "byways",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "byway (plural byways)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: back road, back street, back lane"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A road or track not following a main route; a secondary or minor road or path."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "road",
          "road"
        ],
        [
          "track",
          "track"
        ],
        [
          "main",
          "main"
        ],
        [
          "secondary",
          "secondary"
        ],
        [
          "minor",
          "minor"
        ],
        [
          "path",
          "path"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Coordinate term: backwater"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A road that is not frequently travelled."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "frequently",
          "frequently"
        ],
        [
          "travelled",
          "travelled"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Coordinate term: backwater"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013 September 14, Jane Shilling, “The Golden Thread: the Story of Writing, by Ewan Clayton, review [print edition: Illuminating language]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review), page R29:",
          "text": "Though his account of written communication over the past 5,000 years necessarily has a powerful forward momentum, his diversions down the fascinating byways of the subject are irresistible ...",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "a little-known or arcane field of study or detail."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "arcane",
          "arcane"
        ],
        [
          "field of study",
          "field of study"
        ],
        [
          "detail",
          "detail"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension) a little-known or arcane field of study or detail."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbaɪweɪ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-byway.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-byway.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-byway.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-byway.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-byway.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-aɪweɪ"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "by-way"
    },
    {
      "word": "byeway"
    }
  ],
  "word": "byway"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-08 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (9a96ef4 and 4ed51a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.