headway
/ˈhɛdweɪ/ noun
Forms headways
- noun A movement ahead or forward.
- noun (nautical) Forward motion, or its rate.
- noun (countable, transport) The interval of time or distance between the fronts of two vehicles (e.g. buses) moving in succession in the same direction, especially along the same predetermined route.
- noun (uncountable, figuratively) Progress toward a goal.
- noun (countable) The clearance beneath an object, such as an arch, ceiling or bridge; headroom.
- noun (mining) A crossheading.
Synonyms
Etymology
Partly from Middle English hauedwei, from Old English hēafodweġ (“head-road, main-road”); partly as a shortening of ahead-way, the source of the nautical sense. By surface analysis, head + way.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “headway”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details