1. (Abbr. Ave. or Av.) A wide street or thoroughfare.
2. 1. A broad roadway lined with trees.
   2. Chiefly British. The drive leading from the main road up to a country house.
3. A means of access or approach: new avenues of trade.

[French, from Old French, arrival, from feminine past participle of avenir, to approach, from Latin advenīre, to come to. See advent.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.