right of way
Preserved but no longer current.
The legal right to make use of a certain passage whether high road, by-road, or private road. Private right of way may be claimed by immemorial usage, special per- mission, or necessity; but a funeral cortege or bridal party having passed over a certain field does not give to the public the right of way, as many suppose.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “right of way” mean?
The legal right to make use of a certain passage whether high road, by-road, or private road. Private right of way may be claimed by immemorial usage, special per- mission, or necessity; but a funeral cortege or bridal party having passed over a certain field does not give to the public the right of way, as many suppose.
Is “right of way” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.