English

Alternative forms

• by-way

Noun

byway ‎(plural byways)

1. a road that is not frequently travelled
2. (by extension) an unpopular or arcane field of study
   • 2013 September 14, Jane Shilling, “The Golden Thread: the Story of Writing, by Ewan Clayton, review [print edition: Illuminating language]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review), page R29:

     Though his account of written communication over the past 5,000 years necessarily has a powerful forward momentum, his diversions down the fascinating byways of the subject are irresistible ...