vía

Vía is a Spanish noun meaning road, route, or means of access or communication. It is derived from the Latin via, meaning road or way, and has cognates in other Romance languages such as Italian via and Portuguese via. In Spanish the word is written with an acute accent on the í to indicate the stress.

Common uses cover physical transportation routes and channels as well as figurative means. Examples include vIa férrea (railway), vIa pública (public road), vIa de acceso (access road), and vIa rápida (expressway). It also appears in phrases for channels or methods, such as vIa aérea (air route) and vIa marítima (sea route). In medicine, vIa de administración refers to the route by which a drug is given (for example, vía oral, vía intravenosa, o vía subcutánea).

Vía Láctea, or the Milky Way, is a notable proper name that uses the word vIa to describe a celestial path. Other culturally significant uses include religious or historical routes, such as Vía Dolorosa in Jerusalem or Vía Crucis (Stations of the Cross). The plural vias covers many kinds of routes, channels, or means of communication.

In English and other languages, the form via (without the accent) is widely used. In English, via functions as a preposition meaning by way of or through, often in travel or communication contexts. In Italian and Portuguese, via commonly means street, so the word appears in many address names. The concept remains broadly to denote a path, channel, or method connecting points or ideas.