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high street

noun

Etymology

From Middle English Highestrete. More at high street. By surface analysis, the street name sense is by proprialization from high street (although diachronically, the strict standardization of the uppercase-proper-noun–versus–lowercase-common-noun distinction postdates the Middle English etymon). The everyday-people sense is by metonymy.

  1. inherited from hēahstrǣt — “high road”
  2. inherited from high strete

Definitions

  1. The main street of any town.

    • Near-synonym: high road (precisely coordinate)

  2. Mainstream shops, banks, etc. that can be found on such a street, in contrast to more…

    Mainstream shops, banks, etc. that can be found on such a street, in contrast to more specialist shops and services.

    • Woolworths has had a presence on the UK High Street for almost a century.
    • The spending in and around local stations is creating micro-economies that are benefiting Great Britain's high streets, independent businesses and economic growth, both locally and on a national level.

  3. Physical, bricks and mortar shops, in contrast to Internet shops.

  4. ›+ 5 more definitions

    1. The proper name of the high street in any of many villages, towns, or cities, especially…

      The proper name of the high street in any of many villages, towns, or cities, especially in the United Kingdom and certain Commonwealth countries.

      • Near-synonym: Main Street (esp. US and Canada)

    2. The life and activities that archetypally happen on such a street

      The life and activities that archetypally happen on such a street: brick-and-mortar retail; the daily life of most people (everyone who is not among an out-of-touch rich elite).

      • Near-synonym: Main Street (US and Canada)
      • This is a result of a switch from High Street to online retailing, requiring consumer goods to be delivered to the door from large-scale distribution parks that have sufficient traffic to justify a rail terminal.

    3. A hamlet in St Stephen-in-Brannel parish, Cornwall, England (OS grid ref SW9653).

    4. A hamlet in Hawkhurst parish, Tunbridge Wells borough, Kent, England, on a road of the…

      A hamlet in Hawkhurst parish, Tunbridge Wells borough, Kent, England, on a road of the same name (OS grid ref TQ7430).

    5. A hamlet in Darsham parish, East Suffolk district, Suffolk, England (OS grid ref TM4170).

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for high street. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA