roadbed

English

Alternative forms

• road bed

Etymology

From road +‎ bed.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹoʊdˌbɛd/

Noun

roadbed (plural roadbeds)

1. The prepared location for a road, including its foundation.
2. A trackbed.

   Holonym: right of way

   • 1880, William Miller Barr, Handbook for Steam Engineers and Owners: Being a Practical Guide to the Selection and Care of Steam Machinery‎^[1], J.H. Kerrick & Company, page 119:

     It is obvious that mere training in mechanical skill, in technical knowledge of the locomotive, or even a thorough knowledge of the road bed from one end of the line to another, will not of themselves make a man a fit person to have charge of a locomotive.

   • 1960 February, “Swansea & Mumbles closure”, in Trains Illustrated, page 95:

     The roadbed, much of it fringing Swansea Bay, has been given free to the local authorities.

References

• “roadbed”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• aborded, boarded, deboard