Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?

Answer 1

I know this is usually (and repeatedly!) posted as a joke. But, just in case you're curious about how it all happened, here goes, in three parts:

1) Grammar (the building of English compounds). The parts of English compound words like these can be related in a variety of different ways. So in this case, the relationship of "drive" and "park" to "way" is different in each case;

one based on the verb "to drive", the other based on the NOUN "park".

2) History of "Driveway" --- This originally referred to a private road, usually between a public road and a private house. Historically, these were rather long (think of an impressive country estate -- poor folk or those living in the city would not have a driveway), and their main purpose was indeed for DRIVING driving to the house, certainly not for leaving the horses and carriage (and later car) sitting on.

But in more recent times, driveways got shorter and people began more frequently to leave their cars on them (esp. as they added MORE cars and the garages became full of other stuff!)

3) "Park" is used in two different senses in these words (which is always a good setup for a pun or joke)

"parkway" meaning "a broad LANDSCAPED thoroughfare" is based on the NOUN "park"

Thus "park" here refers not to what one does ON this sort of road but to the "park" areas built (or left) around it. This fits with the meaning of park as an area of land that is set aside (originally by royal grant or law), for gardens, animals, etc.
the VERB "park" is based on this noun, referring to leaving something sitting in one place

(Thus is one sense both 'park in the driveway' and 'drive on the parkway' base 'park' on the same root idea -- only in one it is the land beside the road that is left sitting, in the one it is the vehicle.)


http://www.thefreedictionary.com/park
http://www.webster.com/dictionary/driveway

Answer 2

You might drive on a parkway but very few other countries do.

Answer 3

This question is getting rather boring. It has been posted dozens of times.
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Answer 4

Probably the same reason we often have to pay tolls on the freeway.

http://www.topix.net/forum/city/corona-ca/T7BLQDQ1MVDE1KRGG

Answer 5

It's just the way it is.