different between road vs direction

English

Alternative forms

• rade (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English rode, rade (“ride, journey”), from Old English r?d (“riding, hostile incursion”), from Proto-West Germanic *raidu, from Proto-Germanic *raid? (“a ride”), from Proto-Indo-European *reyd?- (“to ride”). Doublet of raid, acquired from Scots, and West Frisian reed (paved trail/road, driveway).

The current primary meaning of "street, way for traveling" originated relatively late—Shakespeare seemed to expect his audiences to find it unfamiliar—and probably arose through reinterpetation of roadway as a tautological compound.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: r?d, IPA^(key): /???d/
• (General American) enPR: r?d, IPA^(key): /?o?d/
• Rhymes: -??d
• Homophones: Rhode, rode, rowed

Noun

road (plural roads)

1. A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane. [from 16th c.]
2. (uncountable) Roads in general as a means of travel, especially by motor vehicle.

3. A way or route.
   • 1855-1857, Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit

     He stirred up his hair with his sprightliest expression, glanced at the little figure again, said ‘Good evening, ma ‘am; don’t come down, Mrs Affery, I know the road to the door,’ and steamed out.
4. (figuratively) A path chosen in life or career. [from 17th c.]
   • 1964, Ronald Reagan: A Time for Choosing

     Where, then, is the road to peace?
5. An underground tunnel in a mine. [from 18th c.]
6. (US, rail transport) A railway or (Britain, rail transport) a single railway track. [from 19th c.]
7. (obsolete) The act of riding on horseback. [9th-17th c.]
8. (obsolete) A hostile ride against a particular area; a raid. [9th-19th c.]
9. (nautical, often in the plural) A partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor; a roadstead. [from 14th c.]
   • c. 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act V scene i^[2]:

     Antonio: Sweet lady, you have given me life and living; / For here I read for certain that my ships / Are safely come to road.

   • 1630, John Smith, True Travels, in Kupperman 1988, page 38:

     There delivering their fraught, they went to Scandaroone; rather to view what ships was in the Roade, than any thing else […].

10. (obsolete) A journey, or stage of a journey.
    • c. 1613, William Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Act IV scene ii^[3]:

      At last, with easy roads, he came to Leicester; / Lodg'd in the abbey, where the reverend abbot, / With all his convent, honourably receiv'd him; […]

Usage notes

Often used interchangeably with street or other similar words. When usage is distinguished, a road is a route between settlements (reflecting the etymological relation with ride), as in the Great North Road from London to Edinburgh, while a street is a route within a settlement (city or town), strictly speaking paved.

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:road

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

road (not comparable)

1. (US, Canada, sports, chiefly attributive) At the venue of the opposing team or competitor; on the road.
2. (Britain, Slang) Having attributes, primarily masculine, suggesting a tendency towards minor crime. Usually used by youths endearingly; glorifying crime.

Synonyms

• (at the venue of the opposing team or competitor): away (UK)

Anagrams

• A-Rod, Dora, Rado, orad, orda

Estonian

Noun

road

1. nominative plural of roog

Swedish

Etymology

past participle of roa.

Adjective

road (not comparable)

1. amused, entertained

Declension

Related terms

• lättroad
• oroad

Anagrams

• orda

English

Etymology

From Middle English direccioun, from Old French direccion, from Latin d?r?cti?. Equivalent to direct +? -ion

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /d(a)????k.??n/
• Rhymes: -?k??n

Noun

direction (countable and uncountable, plural directions)

1. A theoretical line (physically or mentally) followed from a point of origin or towards a destination. May be relative (e.g. up, left, outbound, dorsal), geographical (e.g. north), rotational (e.g. clockwise), or with respect to an object or location (e.g. toward Boston).
   • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Chapter I,

     Just before Warwick reached Liberty Point, a young woman came down Front Street from the direction of the market-house. When their paths converged, Warwick kept on down Front Street behind her, it having been already his intention to walk in this direction.

2. A general trend for future action.
3. Guidance, instruction.

4. The work of the director in cinema or theater; the skill of directing a film, play etc.

5. (dated) The body of persons who guide or manage a matter; the directorate.
6. (archaic) A person's address.
   • 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society 1985, page 218:

     Her aunt Leonella was still at Cordova, and she knew not her direction.

Derived terms

Related terms

• direct

Translations

Anagrams

• cretinoid

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin d?r?cti?, d?r?cti?nem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.??k.sj??/

Noun

direction f (plural directions)

1. (spatial) direction
2. (figuratively) direction
3. government
4. (figuratively) the director of the administration/organisation
5. (occasional, figurative) the territory administered by a government

Derived terms

• direction assistée

Related terms

• directeur
• diriger

Descendants

• ? Turkish: direksiyon

Further reading

• “direction” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Interlingua

Noun

direction (plural directiones)

1. direction (orientation, point where one is headed)
2. direction, leadership, control, supervision