Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A wide street or thoroughfare.
  • noun A broad roadway lined with trees.
  • noun Chiefly British The drive leading from the main road up to a country house.
  • noun A means of access or approach.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A passage; a way or an opening for entrance into a place; any opening or passage by which a thing is or may be introduced or approached.
  • noun A roadway of approach to a country-house, particularly when straight, of considerable length, and shaded by a row of trees on each side; a drive in a private country-place; a walk in a garden or demain of some pretensions as to style or size.
  • noun A street; properly, a wide street planted with trees and often with turfed spaces on either side, or a garden or shaded promenade in the middle: used in New York, Washington, etc., in the names of the longest and generally the widest streets, as Fifth or Pennsylvania Avenue, but in some American cities without special reference to the character of the street.
  • noun Figuratively, means of access or attainment.
  • noun In archaeology, a series of megalithic stones arranged in a row.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A way or opening for entrance into a place; a passage by which a place may by reached; a way of approach or of exit.
  • noun The principal walk or approach to a house which is withdrawn from the road, especially, such approach bordered on each side by trees; any broad passageway thus bordered.
  • noun A broad street.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A broad street, especially one bordered by trees (Wikipedia).
  • noun A way or opening for entrance into a place; a passage by which a place may be reached; a way of approach or of exit.
  • noun The principal walk or approach to a house which is withdrawn from the road, especially, such approach bordered on each side by trees; any broad passageway thus bordered.
  • noun A method or means by which something may be accomplished.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a line of approach
  • noun a wide street or thoroughfare

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Old French, arrival, from feminine past participle of avenir, to approach, from Latin advenīre, to come to; see advent.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French avenue, from Old French avenue, feminine past participle of avenir ("approach"), from Latin advenire ("come to"), from ad ("to") + venire ("come").

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Examples

  • The tree-lined main avenue is still called “Stalin Street” (an ethnic Georgian, Stalin was said to have also had Ossetian roots).

    A Smuggler’s Story 2008

  • The tree-lined main avenue is still called “Stalin Street” (an ethnic Georgian, Stalin was said to have also had Ossetian roots).

    A Smuggler’s Story 2008

  • The tree-lined main avenue is still called “Stalin Street” (an ethnic Georgian, Stalin was said to have also had Ossetian roots).

    A Smuggler’s Story 2008

  • The tree-lined main avenue is still called “Stalin Street” (an ethnic Georgian, Stalin was said to have also had Ossetian roots).

    A Smuggler’s Story 2008

  • If crude oil really does run out or becomes prohibitively expensive to get, this avenue is available, and additional research and technological improvements need to be actively pursued.

    Was Chicken Little Right? « Hyperpat’s HyperDay 2008

  • If crude oil really does run out or becomes prohibitively expensive to get, this avenue is available, and additional research and technological improvements need to be actively pursued.

    2008 May « Hyperpat’s HyperDay 2008

  • And the city recently changed the main avenue to one-way and added walking and biking paths, says Carrie Broussard, economic development manager for Mid-City Redevelopment Alliance.

    Baton Rouge real estate market holds its own 2009

  • While SBA loans have traditionally been reserved for riskier businesses, "this is the main avenue for small-business lending today," he says.

    SBA Loans Jump, Despite Unsteady Year Emily Maltby 2010

  • Why should the House pass the bill with vague hopes of it being improved later, if this obvious avenue is available?

    Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Herding Cats 2010

  • The reason the last administration didn't pursue that avenue is because there is No Oil in Israel or the Gaza Strip!

    Obama to host meeting of Israeli, Palestinian leaders this week 2009

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