Thoroughfare
/ˈθʌr.əˌfɛər/noun
A public road or street, especially a main route for travel or traffic.
Did you know?Its second half comes from Old English *faran* (“to travel, go”), the same ancient movement-root behind words like “fare,” “ferry,” and even “farewell,” a literal send-off for someone’s journey.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to go through, cross, pass”
Old English
OE
þurh
“through, across”
Old English
OE
faran
“to go, travel, journey”
Middle English
ME
thurghfare
“a passage or way through”
Modern English
English
thoroughfare
“a main road or public passage”