*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of via

Borrowed from Latin via (“road”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-. Possible doublet of way. The sense in electronics is also explained as vertical interconnect access.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A main road or highway, especially in ancient Rome. (Mainly used in set phrases, below.) · A small hole in a printed circuit board filled with metal which connects two or more layers. · An electrical connection which connects two or more layers on a printed circuit board or an integrated circuit.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin via (“road”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-. Possible doublet of way. The sense in electronics is also explained as vertical interconnect access.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*weǵʰ-ine-pro
  • Borrowed-form mentionviala
  • Derivation mention*weǵʰ-ine-pro
  • Doublet mentionwayen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*weǵʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "via",
        "4": "",
        "5": "road"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Latin via (“road”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*weǵʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "way",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "doublet of way"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "printed circuit board",
      "printed circuit board"
    ],
    [
      "via",
      "via#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*weǵʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/weǵʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "way",
      "way#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A main road or highway, especially in ancient Rome. (Mainly used in set phrases, below.)",
        "A small hole in a printed circuit board filled with metal which connects two or more layers.",
        "An electrical connection which connects two or more layers on a printed circuit board or an integrated circuit."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
prep

By way of; passing through. · By (means of); using.

intj

Away! Be off!

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin viā (“by the way (of)”), ablative singular of via (“way, road”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-. Compare typologically Polish drogą, Russian путём (putjóm).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionviāla
  • Derivation mention*weǵʰ-ine-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "viā",
        "4": "",
        "5": "by the way (of)"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Latin viā (“by the way (of)”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*weǵʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "pl",
        "2": "drogą"
      },
      "expansion": "Polish drogą"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "путём"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian путём (putjóm)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "viā",
      "via#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "via",
      "via#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*weǵʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/weǵʰ-"
    ],
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      "drogą",
      "drogą#Polish"
    ],
    [
      "путём",
      "путём#Russian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "By way of; passing through.",
        "By (means of); using."
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      "pos": "intj",
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        "Away! Be off!"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

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Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dmlh