beltway
UK[ˈbɛltweɪ]US[ˈbɛltweɪ]
n
A highway that goes around a city or town, allowing traffic to bypass the center.
n
(US, often Beltway) The political and social environment of Washington, D.C., especially the federal government and its bureaucracy, seen as being isolated from the rest of the country.
Morpheme Breakdown
belt
way
belt
band
way
road
Etymology
The word "beltway" is a modern American English compound, formed in the mid-20th century. It combines "belt," an Old English word for a band that encircles the waist, with "way," an Old English word for a road or path. The term is a logical and descriptive metaphor, likening a circumferential highway that loops around an urban area to a belt encircling the body. Its secondary, abstract meaning referring to the insular political culture of Washington, D.C., derives from the Capital Beltway, the specific interstate highway that surrounds the city, and became a metonym for the federal establishment located within its loop.
Analysis
Structure: belt (band) + way (road)
- belt: From Old English belt, meaning a girdle or band. In this compound, it functions as a modifier indicating something that encircles like a belt.
- way: From Old English weg, meaning a road, path, or course. It functions as the head noun, indicating a thoroughfare or route.
Examples
Traffic was heavy on the northern section of the beltway this morning.
The senator's proposal was dismissed as typical Beltway thinking, out of touch with the needs of rural America.
They took the beltway to avoid the downtown congestion.