superhighway
superhighway
UK[ˌsuːpəˈhaɪweɪ]US[ˌsuːpərˈhaɪweɪ]
n
a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic, especially an expressway with multiple lanes.
n
a very fast and efficient information channel or network, especially the internet or a broadband telecommunications system.
Morpheme Breakdown
super
highway
super
above, beyond
highway
main road
Etymology
the word 'superhighway' is a modern english compound, formed by attaching the latin-derived intensifying prefix 'super-' to the existing english noun 'highway'. the term 'highway' itself has germanic origins, from old english 'heahweg', literally meaning a main public road. the compound first emerged in the mid-20th century to describe a new class of expansive, limited-access roads designed for superior speed and capacity compared to ordinary highways. its meaning was later metaphorically extended during the digital revolution to describe high-capacity information networks, most notably in the phrase "information superhighway," which conceptualized the internet as a vast, fast conduit for data.
Analysis
Structure: super (above, beyond) + highway (main road)
- super: from latin 'super', meaning "above, over, beyond". functions as an intensifying prefix.
- highway: from old english 'heahweg' (heah "high" + weg "way, road"). functions as the base noun.
Examples
the new superhighway connects the two major cities, cutting travel time in half.
the concept of an information superhighway captured the public's imagination in the 1990s.
data travels along fiber-optic superhighways at nearly the speed of light.