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lane

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lane¹

  • /leɪn/ UK, US

Sounds like lain (pane–pain merger) · Rhymes with -eɪn

Where it comes from

From Middle English lane, lone, from Old English lanu (“a lane, alley, avenue”), from Proto-West Germanic *lanu, from Proto-Germanic *lanō (“lane, passageway”).

Cognate with Scots lone (“cattle-track, by-road”), West Frisian leane, loane (“a walkway, avenue”), Dutch laan (“alley, avenue”), German Low German Lane, Laan (“lane”), Swedish lån (“covered walkway encircling a house”), Icelandic lön (“a row of houses”).

noun lanes

  1. used in street names A road, street, or similar thoroughfare. Penny Lane

    Similar: carriageway, direction, roadway, side

  2. A narrow passageway between fences, walls, hedges or trees. There's a shortcut to the shops through this leafy lane.

    Similar: alley

  3. A narrow road, as in the country.
  4. A lengthwise division of roadway intended for a single line of vehicles. Drivers should overtake in the outside lane
  5. A similar division of a racetrack to keep runners apart. There are eight lanes on an Olympic running track.
  6. A similar division of a swimming pool using lines of coloured floats to keep swimmers apart. a swimming lane
  7. Any of a number of parallel tracks or passages. the checkout lanes in a supermarket
  8. A course designated for ships or aircraft. shipping lane
  9. An elongated wooden strip of floor along which a bowling ball is rolled. We booked a couple of lanes at the bowling alley.
  10. An empty space in the tableau, formed by the removal of an entire row of cards.
  11. Any of the parallel slots in which values can be stored in a SIMD architecture.
  12. A single serial data path in the PCI Express standard.
  13. In MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) games, a particular path on the map that may be traversed by enemy characters.
  14. The home stretch. And it's Uncle Mo in front by two as they come to the top of the lane.

Lane²

  • /leɪn/

Where it comes from

As an English surname, from lane; as an Irish surname, from several origins, including Laighin. See Lane.

proper noun

  1. A topographic surname from Middle English for someone who lived in a lane.
  2. A surname from Irish [in turn originating as a patronymic] anglicised from various Irish surnames.
  3. A male given name transferred from the surname.
  4. A female given name.
  5. An unincorporated community in Kootenai County, Idaho.
  6. An unincorporated community in DeWitt County, Illinois.
  7. A minor city in Franklin County, Kansas.
  8. An unincorporated community in Douglas County, Nebraska, taken from the surname.
  9. A census-designated place in Atoka County, Oklahoma.
  10. A town in Williamsburg County, South Carolina.
  11. A town in Jerauld County, South Dakota.
  12. A hamlet in Colan parish, Cornwall, England (OS grid ref SW8260).
  13. A hamlet near Holme, Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE1005).
  14. UK, informal, as "the Lane" The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It was a gala night at the Lane, with Charles Mathews coming over from Covent Garden […]

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: driveway, roadway, avenue, street, carriageway, allée, highway, road, alleyway, pathway, traffic, alley, way, path, underpass, walkway

Translations

Every language

noun passageway

Españolcamino
한국어골목 golmok
日本語路地 roji, 細道 hosomichi
中文胡同 hútòng, 巷 xiàng, 里弄 lǐnòng
हिन्दीगली galī, खोरी khorī
Portuguêsalameda
Françaischemin, ruelle, allée
DeutschGasse
Italianopassaggio, corsia
Ελληνικάσοκάκι sokáki, στενό stenó
Românăuliță
Русскийпереу́лок pereúlok, алле́я alléja, але́йка aléjka, у́лочка úločka
Tiếng Việthẻm
العربيةزُقَاق zuqāq, ممر mamarr
עבריתמִשְׁעוֹל mish'ól

noun a narrow passageway between fences, walls, hedges or trees

DeutschPfädchen

noun division of roadway

Españolcarril, canal, carrilera, senda
日本語車線 shasen, レーン rēn
中文車道 /车道 chēdào
Portuguêspista, faixa, via de trânsito
Françaisvoie
DeutschSpur, Streifen, Fahrspur
Italianocorsia
Ελληνικάλωρίδα lorída
Românăbandă
Русскийполоса́ polosá
Tiếng Việtlàn đường, làn xe, phần đường
العربيةمَسَار masār
עבריתנָתִיב natív

noun division of racetrack

Españolcalle
Portuguêsraia
DeutschBahn
Italianocorsia
Русскийдоро́жка doróžka
Tiếng Việtphần đường
עבריתנָתִיב natív

noun any of a number of parallel tracks or passages

DeutschDurchgang

noun course for ships or aircraft

Españolcarrera, corredor, corredor aéreo
日本語航空路 kūkōro, 規定航路 kiteikōro
中文飛行航線 /飞行航线 féixíng hángxiàn, 航路 hánglù, 空中走廊 kōngzhōng zǒuláng
Françaiscouloir aérien, couloir
DeutschSpur, Route
Italianocorsia
Русскийтра́сса trássa
עבריתנָתִיב natív

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"lane." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lane. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lane. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lane

Chicago

"lane." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lane.

BibTeX
@misc{lane_2026,
  title = {lane},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lane},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}