Meanings
nounK-rail (plural K-rails)
plural K-rails
- A concrete barrier used to separate lanes of traffic.
Synonyms: Jersey barrier, parabolic concrete barrier
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA concrete barrier used to separate lanes of traffic.
Similar
Jersey barrierparabolic concrete barrier
Also see
Origin
This term is stipulated in a specification of the California Department of Transportation, who first started using concrete median barriers in the mid-1940s. The reason for the letter K is uncertain.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
K-rail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/K-rail
MLA
“K-rail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/K-rail. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “K-rail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/K-rail.
Source: K-rail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.