Way

Way, wā, n. passage: road: length of space: distance: direction: manner of life: condition, state: advance in life: general manner of acting: means: manner: will: (naut.) progress or motion through the water, headway.—v.i. (Spens.) to journey.—ns. Way′-bag′gage (U.S.), baggage to be laid down at a way-station; Way′-bill, list of passengers and goods carried by a coach; Way′-board, Weigh′-board, a thin stratum or seam separating thicker strata; Way′bread, the common plantain.—v.i. Way′fāre, to travel on foot.—n. Way′fārer, a traveller or passenger.—adj. Way′fāring, travelling or passing.—n. Way′fāring-tree, the Viburnum lantana, a large shrub common in British hedges.—adjs. Way′-gō′ing, departing; Way′gone, exhausted by travelling.—v.t. Way′lay, to lie in the way for: to watch or lie in ambush for.—n. Waylay′er.—adj. Way′less, without a path.—ns. Way′-māk′er, a pioneer, path-finder; Way′-mark, -post, guide-post; Way′-pass′enger, one taken up or set down by the way; Way′-side, the side of a way, path, or highway.—adj. growing or lying near the way-side.—ns. Way′-slid′ing (rare), a wandering from the right way; Way′-stā′tion, an intermediate station between principal stations on a railway; Way′-this′tle, the Canada thistle; Way′-traff′ic, local traffic, as distinguished from through or express traffic; Way′-train (U.S.), a train stopping at most of the stations on a line.—adj. Way′ward, froward: wilful: irregular.—n. Way′-war′den, a keeper of roads.—adv. Way′wardly.—n. Way′wardness.—adj. Way′worn, worn-out by travel.—n. Right′-of-way (see Right).—Way of the Cross, a series of pictorial representations representing the stages of Christ's progress to Calvary: devotions used in connection with these stages; Ways and means, resources: methods of raising money for the carrying on of government.—Be under way, Have way (naut.), to be in progress, as a vessel; By the way, as we go on; By way of, as for the purpose of: in character of; Come one's way, to come in one's direction; Committee of ways and means, the House of Commons in its capacity of raising the supplies; Give way (see Give); Go one's way (see Go); Go the way of all the earth, to die; Have one's way, to carry one's point or wish; In a small way, on a petty scale; In the family way (see Family); In the way, on the way: impeding, obstructing; In the way of, in a good position for effecting something: in respect of; Lead the way, to act as a guide in any movement; Make one's way, to push one's self forward; Make way, to give room: to advance; On the way, in progress; Out of the way, so as not to hinder or obstruct: away from the ordinary course: unusual: (Shak.) lost, hidden; Put one's self out of the way, to give one's self trouble; Take one's way, to set out: to follow one's own inclination or plan; The Way, the Christian Religion (Acts ix. 2, &c.). [A.S. weg; Ger. weg, L. via, Sans. vaha, akin to vehĕre, to carry.]