autovía

Spanish

Etymology

From auto +‎ vía.

Noun

autovía f (plural autovías)

1. (Spain, Argentina) dual carriageway, divided highway

   Coordinate term: autopista

Usage notes

• In Spain, the autovías never have a toll, and the autopistas usually have a toll. The autovías are of poorer quality than the autopistas, with sharper/tighter curves and steeper slopes, and often with shorter exit lanes that do not meet the minimum length required on autopistas. It is even possible to find bus stops on the autovía itself.

Further reading

• “autovía”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014