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Glite Dictionary
roads

roads

9 8.6
A partly protected area of water near the shore where ships can anchor
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : fondeadero
  • Access to the roads allowed the ships to wait for favorable conditions before heading to the deeper harbor.
  • Hampton Roads

Examples

  • "In a bar in Hampton Roads," Martin answered.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Business and international studies are graduating students to meet the challenges of a developing Hampton Roads and the changing world.

    Academic text (1990)

  • We in the Hampton Roads area are in the "transitional grass zone."

    Blog text (28)

  • At its outlet, in the Hampton Roads-Norfolk area of Virginia, the bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.

    Academic text (2005)

  • A typical quantity of seed each buyboat carried to Hampton Roads in a season was about 90,000 bushels.

    Academic text (1996)

  • In Hampton Roads, salinities are above 15%, and the most damaging predator is the Atlantic oyster drill.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The salinity in Hampton Roads was high enough for pea crabs, and they invaded the planted oysters.

    Academic text (1996)

  • In 1915, there were 21 shucking/packing oyster houses in the Hampton Roads area (Churchill, 1921).

    Academic text (1996)

  • The harbor was too shallow, so the captain decided to anchor the ship in the roads for safety.

  • During the storm, the fleet sought refuge in the roads rather than risking damage in the open sea.

Synonyms

roadstead
vsroads
  • Specialized
9.9

A partly sheltered area of sea near the shore where ships can anchor

is the same meaning but appears as a different regional or stylistic form

Idioms

all roads lead to Rome
6.3

You can reach the same result in many different ways

Compounds

Hampton Roads
2 6.5

A wide channel and its nearby cities in southeastern Virginia where the Elizabeth and James Rivers flow into Chesapeake Bay

Battle of Hampton Roads
8.4

Naval battle in 1862 during the US Civil War between armored ships Monitor and Virginia that ended indecisively

Hampton Roads
8.7

The place where a sea battle happened in 1862 during the Civil War between the ironclad ships Monitor and Merrimac

How Sheltered

harbor
  • US
460 1.8
roads
  • Specialized
9 8.6
open
18 1.0

Surface Forms

road singular
roads plural

Morphology

roads = road (opaque) = road + s

Although morphologically 'road' + plural '-s', the nautical meaning 'anchorage' is specialized and not inferable from the common sense 'road' for most learners.

Etymology

The word roads, meaning places where ships anchor near the shore, comes from the older word roadstead and the idea of ships that ride — 'to ride' at their anchor. So a roads is a partly sheltered anchorage where vessels 'ride' on the water before entering a harbor.