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cause·way

(kôzwā′)

1. A roadway on a raised bed of earth, rubble, or other fill, usually crossing open water or a wetland.

2. A long bridge consisting of many short spans.

3. Archaic A paved highway.

[Middle English caucewei : cauce, raised road (from Norman French caucie, from Medieval Latin calciāta (via), paved (road), from Latin calx, calc-, limestone; see CALX) + wei, road (variant of way; see WAY).]

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causeway

causeway to the island

St. Michael's Mount

Cornwall, England

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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