gangway

/ˈgæŋˌweɪ/

Other forms: gangways

A walkway or passage, particularly one that's temporary or portable, is a gangway. After all that flooding, we may have to build a wooden gangway to get across the muddy field to the chicken coop.

The planks rescue workers use to scale the rubble from an earthquake are one type of gangway. Another is the corridor you walk down as you board an airplane or a cruise ship. And the platforms connecting two train cars are also called gangways. This word stems from an old-fashioned definition of gang, "a going, journey, way, or passage." In the early 20th century, gangway was also a common command meaning "clear the way!"

Definitions of gangway

1. noun

   a temporary passageway of planks (as over mud on a building site)
   type of:

   passageway

   a passage between rooms or between buildings
2. noun

   a temporary bridge for getting on and off a vessel at dockside
   synonyms: gangboard, gangplank

   type of:

   footbridge, overcrossing, pedestrian bridge

   a bridge designed for pedestrians
3. noun

   passageway between seating areas as in an auditorium or passenger vehicle or between areas of shelves of goods as in stores
   synonyms: aisle

   type of:

   passageway

   a passage between rooms or between buildings