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headway

/ˈhɛdweɪ/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about headway at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Vertical space available to allow easy passage under something.
  2. Forward movement.
    the ship made little headway against the gale

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)