Word of the Day ·

A1U1T1O1B3A1H4N1

autobahn

/ˈaʊ̯toˌbɑːn/

noun

What it means

  1. The high-speed intercity highways of Germany and Austria.

    On a recent afternoon a work crew and crane were affixing the tall lettering to the side of the team’s new stadium, just off the autobahn in Sinsheim, a few miles from Hoffenheim.

    2009 January 22, Nicholas Kulish, “Soccer Titan Raises Profile of Tiny Village”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022
    1 more example

    Confusion reigned on German autobahns and highways at the start of one of the busiest holiday breaks of the year on Thursday after Google Maps wrongly indicated that vast swathes of them were closed.

    2025 May 30, Kate Connolly, “Chaos on German autobahns as Google Maps wrongly says they are closed”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 26 Aug 2025
  2. broadlyAny wide, high-speed road.

    These ant autobahns function much the same as human highways to speed transport of goods and to reduce bumps and potholes in the path.

    2016, Justin O. Schmidt, The Sting of the Wild, Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 112

In a sentence

On a recent afternoon a work crew and crane were affixing the tall lettering to the side of the team’s new stadium, just off the autobahn in Sinsheim, a few miles from Hoffenheim.

2009 January 22, Nicholas Kulish, “Soccer Titan Raises Profile of Tiny Village”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022

Where it comes from

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tó-
  3. Proto-Hellenic*autós
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew
  5. Ancient Greekαὖ (aû)
  6. Ancient Greekτόν (tón)
  7. Ancient Greekαὐτός (autós)
  8. Ancient Greekαὐτο- (auto-)
  9. Frenchauto-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)ewh₁-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)owh₁éyeti
  12. Proto-Italic*moweō
  13. Latinmoveō
  14. Latinmōbili
  15. Frenchmobile
  16. Frenchautomobile
  17. GermanAutomobil
  18. GermanAuto
  19. Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰen-
  20. Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰon-eh₂
  21. Proto-Germanic*banō
  22. Proto-West Germanic*banu
  23. Old High German*bana
  24. Middle High Germanban
  25. GermanBahn
  26. GermanAutobahn
  27. Englishautobahn

Borrowed from German Autobahn.

Full entry for autobahn →

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