passage
UK[ˈpæsɪdʒ]US[ˈpæsɪdʒ]
n
a narrow way allowing access between buildings or to different rooms within a building; a corridor.
n
the action or process of moving through or past somewhere.
n
a short section from a book, piece of music, or other work.
Morpheme Breakdown
pass
age
pass
to go, to step
age
noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'passage' entered english in the late 13th century from old french, where it meant 'a road, a passing'. its core is the latin root 'passus', meaning 'a step' or 'pace', derived from the verb 'pandere' (to stretch, spread out). the suffix '-age', also of latin origin via french, is used to form nouns indicating an action or its result. therefore, the literal construction is 'the action or result of passing'. this concrete sense of movement evolved to denote the space where passing occurs (a corridor), the act of transitioning (as in the passage of time), and metaphorically, an excerpt from a text through which one 'passes' while reading.
Analysis
Structure: pass (to go, to step) + age (noun suffix)
pass (from old french 'passer', from latin 'passus' meaning 'step, pace', of ultimate pie origin) + age (from old french '-age', from latin '-aticum', a noun-forming suffix denoting an action or its result).
Examples
a secret passage led from the castle to the nearby forest.
the passage of the new law was celebrated by many.
she read a moving passage from the novel aloud.