headway means A movement ahead or forward. It carries an Arena rating of 1502, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, headway ranks #2,340 of 14,361 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,382 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #2,382 of 14,297 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,498 of 14,340 for Most Vivid Words.
headway is pronounced /ˈhɛdweɪ/.
Why “headway” is a great word
Headway is forward movement or progress made against resistance, or the measured time or distance between successive vehicles on a route. From Middle English *hauedwei*, from Old English *hēafodweġ* (“head-road, main-road”), and later a shortening of the nautical phrase *ahead-way*; by surface analysis, head + way, with the sense of ‘forward motion’ first attested in 1748. Unlike “progress,” which suggests general advancement, or “gap,” which is any empty interval, headway is motion carved from friction—the laboring ship’s gain against a headwind, the committee’s inch toward consensus after deadlock, the precise minute separating one bus from the next. It is the fragile, hard-won space gained between effort and resistance.
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.
noun
- A movement ahead or forward.
- Forward motion, or its rate.
- 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 pre-determined route.“The whole of the main lines to be electrified were being equipped with four-aspect colour-light signals, automatically operated, where appropriate, and spaced to give a 5min headway throughout.”
- Progress toward a goal.
- The clearance beneath an object, such as an arch, ceiling or bridge; headroom.“So as not to impede navigation the two principal spans of the bridge were designed to provide a clear headway of 157 ft. above high water for a distance of 500 ft.; [...].”
- A crossheading.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- sternway 81% match — Movement towards the stern; backwards motion of a vessel. vs headway →
- vanguard 79% match — The leading units at the front of an army or fleet. vs headway →
- throughgang 79% match — a thoroughfare; an entry; passage; passageway vs headway →
- forerunner 78% match — A runner at the front or ahead. vs headway →
- onrush 78% match — A forceful rush or flow forward. vs headway →
- wavelength 78% match — The length of a single cycle of a wave, as measured by the distance between one peak or trough of a wave and the next; it is often designated in physics as λ, and corresponds to the velocity of the wave divided by its frequency. vs headway →
- forestall 78% match — To prevent, delay or hinder something by taking precautionary or anticipatory measures; to avert. vs headway →
- bypath 78% match — An unfrequented path; an indirect route; a byway. vs headway →