Table of Contents
The word for today is…
inroad (noun) –
1 : an advance or penetration often at the expense of someone or something
2 : a sudden hostile incursion : raid
Source : Merriam -Webster
Etymology : Inroad is a combination of in and road, both of which are pretty mundane, as far as words go. But the first-and oldest-meaning of inroad hints at a meaning of road other than the “way for traveling” one. Beginning back in the days of Old English, road referred to an armed hostile incursion made on horseback. (Raid comes from this use of road and also formerly specified incursions on horseback.) Road has lost all of its former violent connotations, and inroad is shedding its as well. While inroads are often made at the expense of someone or something, they are at times simply advances, as when an artist is said to be making inroads into a community.
If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.
