autorouten.
/ˈɔːtəʊruːt/, U.S. /ˈɔdoʊˌrut/, /ˈɑdoʊˌrut/, /ˈɔdoʊˌraʊt/, /ˈɑdoʊˌraʊt/ In France or other French-speaking regions: a fast road for cars; a motorway.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > [noun] > for wheeled vehicles > for fast motor traffic > in countries other than Britain and the U.S.
autostrada1924
autopista1928
autobahn1934
autoroute1946
1946 Times 22 Apr. 5/4 The United States, Germany, and Italy built such roads before the war, and France is building them now; these parkways, express highways, autostrade, Autobahnen, and autoroutes are described by our Motoring Correspondent.
1963 H. Slesar Bridge of Lions (1964) vii. 105 The lights of Paris were behind them. Ahead, on the six-lane autoroute, lay Versailles.
1973 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 28 Sept. 2/5 Liberal incumbent George Tremblay..gave up his post as minister responsible for autoroutes.
1990 Guardian (Nexis) 3 Jan. The network of autoroutes linking Brussels with France, West Germany and the Netherlands.
2000 H. Stevenson Instr. for Visitors (2002) 19 Here the autoroute crosses the southernmost valley in France, then burns on and away..up and over into Spain.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1946