byway

Etymology

From Middle English bywey, equivalent to by- + way.

noun

  1. a road or track not following a main route; a minor road or path.
  2. a road that is not frequently travelled.
  3. (by extension) a little-known or arcane field of study or detail.
    Though his account of written communication over the past 5,000 years necessarily has a powerful forward momentum, his diversions down the fascinating byways of the subject are irresistible ... 14 September 2013, Jane Shilling, “The Golden Thread: the Story of Writing, by Ewan Clayton, review [print edition: Illuminating language]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review), page R29

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/byway), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.