passage

[pas-ij]

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noun

a portion or section of a written work; a paragraph, verse, etc.: a passage of Scripture.

a phrase or other division of a musical work.

Fine Arts. an area, section, or detail of a work, especially with respect to its qualities of execution: passages of sensitive brushwork.

an act or instance of passing from one place, condition, etc., to another; transit.

the permission, right, or freedom to pass: to refuse passage through a territory.

the route or course by which a person or thing passes or travels.

a hall or corridor; passageway.

an opening or entrance into, through, or out of something: the nasal passages.

a voyage by water from one point to another: a rough passage across the English Channel.

the privilege of conveyance as a passenger: to book passage on an ocean liner.

the price charged for accommodation on a ship; fare.

a lapse or passing, as of time.

a progress or course, as of events.

the enactment into law of a legislative measure.

an interchange of communications, confidences, etc., between persons.

an exchange of blows; altercation or dispute: a passage at arms.

the act of causing something to pass; transference; transmission.

an evacuation of the bowels.

an occurrence, incident, or event.

verb (used without object), pas·saged, pas·sag·ing.

to make a passage; cross; pass; voyage.

Origin of passage

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French, equivalent to pass(er) to pass + -age -age

passage

[pas-ij, puh-sahzh]Manège.

noun

a slow, cadenced trot executed with great elevation of the feet and characterized by a moment of suspension before the feet strike the ground.

verb (used without object), pas·saged, pas·sag·ing.

(of a horse) to execute such a movement.

(of a rider) to cause a horse to execute such a movement.

verb (used with object), pas·saged, pas·sag·ing.

to cause (a horse) to passage.

Origin of passage

1790–1800; < French passager (v.), variant of passéger < Italian passeggiare to walk; see pace¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for passage

sentence, text, section, transition, portion, verse, clause, reading, quotation, paragraph, transfer, flow, journey, progress, passing, trip, change, movement, acceptance, ratification

Examples from the Web for passage

Contemporary Examples of passage

One of the rites of passage for every young political reporter is to listen to the elders tell stories about campaigns past.
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz
Jeff Greenfield
December 31, 2014
Going to The Ball, signing up for JDate, downloading JSwipe are all modern-day rites of passage.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots
Emily Shire
December 26, 2014
In the neighborhoods they grow up in, prison is a rite of passage and being a street gangster is a viable career choice.
The Mexican Mafia Is the Daddy of All Street Gangs
Seth Ferranti
December 11, 2014
Lena Dunham has been (crazily) accused of “sexual abuse” by right-wing troll sites for a passage in her memoir.
Welcome to Generation Overshare: Lena Dunham, Taylor Swift, and the Politics of Self-Disclosure
Marlow Stern
November 6, 2014
Next, the passage of a comprehensive jobs bill is essential for Republicans.
What the GOP Will Do If It Wins Congress
Stuart Stevens
October 3, 2014

Historical Examples of passage

This passage, I say, is inserted to explain the words of Moses which precede it.
A Theological-Political Treatise [Part II]
Benedict of Spinoza
She reached at last the coal-cellar, the first that opened from the passage, and looked in.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
He went to the keyhole of the door leading into the passage.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Once more I started up, and chairs were moved to give me passage.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
He had not told his mother of that passage of love with Aggie Logan.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine

British Dictionary definitions for passage

passage

noun

a channel, opening, etc, through or by which a person or thing may pass

music a section or division of a piece, movement, etc

a way, as in a hall or lobby

a section of a written work, speech, etc, esp one of moderate length

a journey, esp by shipthe outward passage took a week

the act or process of passing from one place, condition, etc, to anotherpassage of a gas through a liquid

the permission, right, or freedom to passto be denied passage through a country

the enactment of a law or resolution by a legislative or deliberative body

an evacuation of the bowels

rare an exchange or interchange, as of blows, words, etc (esp in the phrase passage of arms)

Word Origin for passage

C13: from Old French from passer to pass

passage

noun

a sideways walk in which diagonal pairs of feet are lifted alternately

a cadenced lofty trot, the moment of suspension being clearly defined

verb

to move or cause to move at a passage

Word Origin for passage

C18: from French passager, variant of passéger, from Italian passeggiare to take steps, ultimately from Latin passūs step, pace 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for passage

early 13c., "a road, passage;" late 13c., "action of passing," from Old French passage "mountain pass, passage" (11c.), from passer "to go by" (see pass (v.)). Meaning "corridor in a building" first recorded 1610s. Meaning "a portion of writing" is from 1610s, of music, from 1670s.

passage in Medicine

passage

[păs′ĭj]

n.

A movement from one place to another.

The process of passing from one condition or stage to another.

A path, channel, or duct through, over, or along which something may pass.

An act of emptying, as of the bowels.

The process of passing or maintaining a group of microorganisms or cells through a series of hosts or cultures.