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High street
name, noun
Definitions
Proper Noun
- 1 The proper name of the high street in any of many villages, towns, or cities, especially in the United Kingdom and certain Commonwealth countries. British
"Near-synonym: Main Street (esp. US and Canada)"
- 2 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). British
"Near-synonym: Main Street (US and Canada)"
- 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 same name (OS grid ref TQ7430).
- 5 A hamlet in Darsham parish, East Suffolk district, Suffolk, England (OS grid ref TM4170).
Noun
- 1 The main street of any town. Ireland, UK
- 2 street that serves as a principal thoroughfare for traffic in a town wordnet
- 3 Mainstream shops, banks, etc. that can be found on such a street, in contrast to more specialist shops and services. Ireland, UK
"Woolworths has had a presence on the UK High Street for almost a century."
- 4 Physical, bricks and mortar shops, in contrast to Internet shops. Ireland, UK
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English high strete, highestrete, haye-strete, hye strete, heiȝe strete, from Old English hēahstrǣt (“high road”), equivalent to high + street.
Etymology 2
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.
See also for "high street"
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