Why We Call It a “Highway”

It’s called a “highway” because “high” originally meant “main” or “principal,” not elevated, so a “highway” was the chief public road with a right of passage; the term later also benefited from the fact that many long-distance routes and causeways were raised above surrounding ground. In short, the word blends a linguistic sense of importance with practical features of historic roads.

Etymology: From “High” (Principal) + “Way” (Road)

The word traces to Old and Middle English. Old English “heah” (high) and “weg” (way) combined to describe a principal route—what we would now call a main road. In Middle English sources (circa 12th–13th centuries), forms like “heye wey” appear with the same meaning. Crucially, “high” here carries the sense seen in “High Street,” “high table,” or “high seas”—denoting status, scope, or centrality rather than altitude.

Why “High” Didn’t Mean Height—But Sometimes Did

Linguistically, the “high” in “highway” aligns with “chief” or “public.” However, physical elevation did play a role in how people experienced major routes: Roman and medieval builders often raised important roads and causeways to keep them passable in wet conditions. That practical elevation helped reinforce the association, even if the core meaning of “high” was “principal.”

How the Meaning Evolved

Over time, “highway” shifted from a general label for main public routes to a legal and infrastructural term that varies by region. In some places it retains its broad, legal sense; in others, it suggests high-speed, limited-access roads.

Modern Usage and Legal Definitions

Contemporary usage differs across English-speaking countries, reflecting both legal definitions and everyday speech. The points below highlight those contrasts.

• United Kingdom and Ireland: In law, a “highway” is any route the public has a right to pass and repass at all times without charge. That can include footpaths, bridleways, and carriageways—not just motor roads. “Motorway” is the term for high-speed, controlled-access roads.
• United States and Canada: Statutes often define a “highway” as the entire publicly maintained way open to public travel, including shoulders and medians. Colloquially, Americans use “highway” for major roads (state highways, U.S. routes, Interstates), while “freeway” or “expressway” denotes controlled-access facilities.
• Australia and New Zealand: “Highway” generally means a major intercity road, while “motorway” (NZ) and “freeway” (AU) refer to controlled-access roads, depending on the jurisdiction.

Together, these usages show that “highway” can be a broad legal category or a shorthand for prominent long-distance routes, with specific high-speed infrastructure labeled by separate terms like “motorway” or “freeway.”

Common Misconceptions

Because many important roads were historically raised, people sometimes assume “highway” means an elevated road. While elevation was a common feature, etymology points primarily to “high” meaning main or principal. The elevated construction is a reinforcing factor, not the root cause of the name.

Related Terms and How They Differ

Several road terms overlap with “highway,” but they carry distinct technical or regional meanings. Here’s how they typically compare.

• High road: Historically, the main route; idiomatically, the morally superior course (“take the high road”).
• Motorway: In the UK and some Commonwealth countries, a controlled-access, high-speed road with specific regulations.
• Freeway/Expressway: North American terms for controlled-access roads designed for uninterrupted high-speed travel.
• Byway: A minor road or track; in UK law, “byway open to all traffic” allows motor vehicles but is often rural and unpaved.
• Turnpike: Historically, a toll road; in some U.S. states (e.g., Pennsylvania, New Jersey), the name persists for toll expressways.

These distinctions emphasize that “highway” is the broad, historic concept of a main public route, while other terms specify design standards or access rules.

A Brief Timeline

The following timeline sketches the word’s development from linguistic roots to modern usage.

1. Old English era: “Heah” (high) + “weg” (way) describe principal routes used by the public.
2. Middle English (c. 1200–1300): “Highway” appears in texts as the main thoroughfare between places.
3. Medieval to early modern periods: Raised causeways and improved trunk roads entrench the association with important, sometimes elevated, long-distance routes.
4. 19th–20th centuries: Legal codifications in the UK and North America define “highway” broadly as a public right-of-way, even as engineering terms (motorway, freeway) emerge for controlled-access roads.
5. Today: “Highway” remains a general and legal term for public roads, while everyday usage often implies major intercity routes.

This progression shows how a linguistic label for a main path evolved alongside road-building practices and modern transport law.

Why the Name Endures

“Highway” persists because it captures both the public character and the primacy of major routes. Even as engineering standards diversify, the term signals access, connectivity, and the main arteries of travel and commerce.

Summary

It’s called a “highway” because “high” originally meant “main” or “principal,” marking a chief public route with a right of passage; the historic practice of raising important roads reinforced, but did not originate, the term. Today, “highway” remains a broad legal and common term for public roads—while specific high-speed, controlled-access roads are more precisely labeled as motorways, freeways, or expressways depending on the country.

Why is the highway called a highway?

The word “highway” comes from the Old English word heahweg, meaning a main road between towns, and refers to roads that are elevated or higher than the surrounding ground, such as those built by the Romans. Alternatively, the term can simply mean “main” or “principal” road, similar to a “high street” in a town, or it can be the “high ways” followed by Anglo-Saxons on hill ridges. 
Etymology and Ancient Roads

• Ancient Roman Roads: Opens in new tabThe term originates, in part, from the way ancient Roman roads were constructed. They were paved and raised above the general ground level to prevent flooding, creating a “high way” or elevated path. 
• Anglo-Saxon “Ridgeways”: Opens in new tabEarly Anglo-Saxons used “ridgeways,” which were roads along the crests of hills. These were literally “high ways” because they were naturally elevated and had good drainage, requiring less engineering than the Roman roads. 

Meaning of “High”

• Main or Principal: The word “high” in “highway” can also refer to the importance or mainness of the road, as in the main street of a town, which was also historically called the “high street”. 
• Long-Distance Travel: The term was used for long-haul ways and major routes connecting one town to another, as opposed to smaller country roads or footpaths. 

Modern Usage

• General Term: Opens in new tabIn modern usage, “highway” is a broad term for any important public road, especially one designed for travel between towns and cities. 
• Types of Highways: Opens in new tabThe term encompasses different types of roads, including freeways, which are a specific type of highway designed for high-speed, high-volume, unrestricted travel with no at-grade crossings. 

Why is it called freeway and highway?

Freeways are a specific type of highway with no direct access from adjacent properties, no at-grade crossings, and no traffic signals. Highways can be any major road, including freeways and roads with traffic signals and direct access. Interstates are a subset of freeways and are part of a nationwide system.

What is the full meaning of highway?

A highway is a main road, especially one that connects towns or cities. [mainly US] I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. Synonyms: main road, motorway, roadway, thoroughfare More Synonyms of highway.

What is the origin of the name highway?

Old English heahweg “main road from one town to another;” see high (adj.) in sense of “main” + way (n.). High street (Old English heahstræte) was the word before 17c. applied to highways and main roads, whether in the country or town, especially one of the Roman roads.