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that·a·way

(thătə-wā′)

adv.
Southern & Midland US

That way.

[Alteration of that way.]

Our Living Language The history of the English language is full of examples of epenthesis, the addition to a word of a vowel or consonant not part of the original word. This process is still active in regional dialects. Two examples now used chiefly in Southern and Midland dialects are thisaway and thataway, which show epenthetic vowels intruding between this way and that way. Another highly excoriated instance of vowel epenthesis, not regional, is the pronunciation of athlete as (ăthə-lēt′).

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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