autoroute

American  

[aw-toh-root, oh-toh-root] / ˈɔ toʊˌrut, oʊ toʊˈrut /

noun

plural

autoroutes

1. a principal highway, especially in France and French-speaking Canada.

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autoroute British  

/ ˈɔːtəʊˌruːt /

noun

1. a French motorway

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Etymology

Origin of autoroute

From French, dating back to 1960–65; auto, route

Example Sentences

Une petite mosaïque placée aux abords d’une autoroute a été remplacée six fois par un fan qui aime la croiser chaque fois qu’il rend visite à ses parents.

From New York Times

The holders are efficient, rather than exciting, and at the moment they remind me of a Citroen cruising along an old autoroute.

From BBC

That in turn led to what is now the extraordinary sight of 4km of security steel that encloses L'Autoroute des Anglais, the motorway that leads to the sea.

From BBC

“It was in the days before motorways in the U.K., or the autoroute in France,” Dewis said in an interview at a concours event in Amelia Island, Fla. “It was mostly two-lane roads, through small towns, all the way. Across customs checks and through border crossings. I averaged 68 m.p.h., including the ferry crossing.”

From New York Times

The A6 Autoroute de Soleil that heads out of Paris to the south-east to join the A7 to the Mediterranean coast, normally a constant stream of traffic and frequently jammed in both directions, is now dotted with an irregular stream of lorries.

From The Guardian