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way station

way station

4 3.9
A small stop on a route where people pause before continuing
  • noun
  • /ˈweɪ ˈsteɪʃən/
translation icon : estación de paso
  • For the Vietnam veteran, the campus was a way station, a bridge to the civilian economy.
  • serves as a way station

Examples

  • And they want to use the zoo as a way station.

  • In the years after World War II, devout Muslims would assemble at this way station before embarking on a steamship to make the yearly pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

    Academic text (2004)
  • This is a way station.

  • When is he due to arrive at this way station?

  • There was a way station carved out of and built in the rock of the mountain.

    Blog text (14)
  • At some indiscernible point, the nursing home became a way station or destination for people with an enormous range of needs and characteristics.

    Academic text (1995)
  • While many of these immigrants later settled elsewhere, the kibbutz served as a way station for their integration into the nascent society.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Isolation, a chief advantage at inception, eroded quickly when gold was discovered in California and the city became a way station for westward-bound travelers.

    Academic text (1997)
  • PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): Adkins Mill Pond in Powellville, Maryland, is a favorite way station for bicyclists and tourists.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Half Moon Bay is an ideal way station on the road to the Monterey Peninsula.

Synonyms

station
vsway station
2.0

A building with staff and equipment for a public service, like where trains stop or firefighters work

is the small pause point for travelers along a route rather than any facility
train station
vsway station
  • US
69 1.0

A place where trains stop for people and goods to get on and off

is usually larger and serves as a main transport hub not a small pause
bus station
vsway station
65 1.0

A place where buses stop and people wait to get on or off

is a small pause point along a route rather than a large bus hub
rest stop
vsway station
  • US
24 1.8

A place beside a road where people stop to rest, use toilets, or buy food

is mainly for rest and services rather than vehicle boarding
railway station
vsway station
  • UK
7 1.3

A place where trains stop to pick up and drop off people and goods

is usually larger and serves as a main transport hub not a small pause
railroad station
vsway station
  • US
5 1.5

A place where trains stop to pick up or drop off people and goods

is usually larger and serves as a main transport hub not a small pause
whistle stop
vsway station
1 7.4

A very small train station where trains pause only when someone signals

is a small pause point used generally rather than only when signaled
flag stop
vsway station
  • US
8.1

A small train station where trains stop only if someone signals them

is a general pause point not limited to signaled halts
calling station
vsway station
  • UK
4.5

A marked place where buses or trains stop to pick up and drop off passengers

is a planned pause point rather than an occasional request stop

Antonyms

1 7.5

The final goal of a process or journey

How Big

terminal
76 3.5
station
2.0
way station
4 3.9
stop
556 1.0
halt
109 2.3

Surface Forms

way station singular
way stations plural

Morphology

way + station

The meaning 'a small station or stopping place along a route' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'way' (a route) with 'station' (a transport building). This straightforward noun–noun composition and similar constructions in other languages make the phrase immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Way station comes from a simple picture: a station on the way where travellers or vehicles stop for a short time. So it means 'a small stopping place on a route'.