areaway

[ air-ee-uh-wey ]

noun

1. a sunken area leading to a cellar or basement entrance, or in front of basement or cellar windows.
2. a passageway, especially one between buildings.

areaway

/ ˈɛərɪəˌweɪ /

noun

1. a passageway between parts of a building or between different buildings
2. See area

Word History and Origins

Origin of areaway¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; area + way ¹

Example Sentences

The new limits are meant to protect “areaways,” the hollow passages beneath Pioneer Square sidewalks created after the 1889 Great Seattle Fire, when settlers rebuilt streets one story higher than the original roads.

From Seattle Times

To protect areaways, the buses stay in the interior lanes.

From Seattle Times

It’s much cheaper than purchasing an areaway cover, if that’s the problem.

From Washington Post

I left the kitchen and went into the back areaway to breathe.

From Literature

Let's jump down, run alongside the house by the areaway, and get out on the street.

From Project Gutenberg