Dictionary

roadbed en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɹoʊdˌbɛd/ (General-American)

Etymology

From road + bed.

Meanings

1. The prepared location for a road, including its foundation.
2. A trackbed.
   • The roadbed, much of it fringing Swansea Bay, has been given free to the local authorities. 1960 February, “Swansea & Mumbles closure”, in Trains Illustrated, page 95:
   • 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. 1880, William Miller Barr, Handbook for Steam Engineers and Owners: Being a Practical Guide to the Selection and Care of Steam Machinery, J.H. Kerrick & Company, page 119:
   • Holonym: right of way

Forms