Lewis & Short

vĭa (vĕa, Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 14), ae (gen. sing. vias, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 679 P., or Ann. v. 421 Vahl.; viāï, Enn. ap. Cic. Sen. 6, 16, or Ann. v. 209 ib.; Lucr. 1, 406; 1, 659; 2, 249 et saep.; dat. plur. VIEIS, Inscr. Lat. 206, 50), f. [Sanscr. vah-āmi, bring, lead; Gr. ὄχος, ὄχημα, vehicle; Germ. Wagen; Engl. wagon; from this root are also veho, vexo, etc.], a way, in the most general sense (for men, beasts, or carriages, within or without a city), a highway, road, path, street.

  1. I. Lit.
      1. 1. In gen.: viae latitudo ex lege duodecim tabularum in porrectum octo pedes habet, in anfractum, id est ubi flexum est, sedecim, Dig. 8, 3, 8: Romam in montibus positam et convallibus, non optimis viis, angustissimis semitis, Cic. Agr. 2, 35, 96: et modo quae fuerat semita, facta via est, Mart. 7, 61, 4: aut viam aut semitam monstret, Plaut. Rud. 1, 3, 30: mi opsistere in viā, id. Curc. 2, 3, 5: ire in viā, Ter. Eun. 3, 2, 42: omnibus viis notis semitisque essedarios ex silvis emittebat, Caes. B. G. 5, 19 (opp. semita), id. ib. 7, 8; Liv. 44, 43, 1; cf.: decedam ego illi de viā, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 80; cf. id. Curc. 2, 3, 8: paulum ad dexteram de viā declinavi, Cic. Fin. 5, 2, 5: decedere viā, Suet. Tib. 31: aestuosa et pulverulenta via, Cic. Att. 5, 14, 1: quā (viā) Sequanis invitis propter angustias ire non poterant, Caes. B. G. 1, 9: cursare huc illuc viā deterrimā, Cic. Att. 9, 9, 2: in viam se dare, to set out on a journey, id. Fam. 14, 12: te neque navigationi neque viae committere, id. ib. 16, 4, 1: tu abi tuam viam, Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 88: milites monuit, viā omnes irent, nec deverti quemquam paterentur, along the highway, Liv. 25, 9, 4.
        In a double sense: ire publicā viā, Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 35.
        Prov.: qui sibi semitam non sapiunt, alteri monstrant viam, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 58, 132 (Trag. v. 358 Vahl.): de viā in semitam degredi, Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 40: totā errare viā, Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 14.
      2. 2. In partic., as the name of a particular street or road: tres ergo viae, a supero mari Flaminia, ab infero Aurelia, media Cassia, Cic. Phil. 12, 9, 22: Via Appia, id. Mil. 6, 15; id. Imp. Pomp. 18, 55; cf. Liv. 9, 29, 6; v. Appius: Via Campana, Suet. Aug. 94; v. Campania: Sacra Via, in Rome, in the fourth region, Varr. L. L. 5, § 47 Müll.; Fest. p. 290 ib.; Cic. Planc. 7, 17; Hor. Epod. 4, 7; 7, 8: Via Sacra, id. S. 1, 9, 1; also written as one word, SACRAVIA, Inscr. Grut. 638, 7; 1033, 1; cf. Charis. p. 6 P.; Diom. p. 401 ib. (v. sacer, I. A.); cf. Becker, Antiq. 1, p. 219 sq.
        Hence, Sacrăvĭenses, ĭum, m., those dwelling on the Sacra Via, Fest. s. v. October equus, p. 178 Müll.
    1. B. Transf.
      1. 1. Abstr., like our way, for march, journey (syn. iter): cum de viā languerem, Cic. Phil. 1, 5, 12: nisi de viā fessus esset, id. Ac. 1, 1, 1: tridui via, a three days’ march or journey, Caes. B. G. 1, 38: bidui, id. ib. 6, 7; Cic. Div. 1, 15, 27: longitudo viae, Liv. 37, 33, 3: flecte viam velis, Verg. A. 5, 28: tum via tuta maris, Ov. M. 11, 747: feci Longa Pherecleā per freta puppe vias, id. H. 16, 22: ne inter vias praeterbitamus, metuo, by the way, on the road, Plaut. Poen. 5, 3, 43; Ter. Eun. 4, 2, 1; Turp. ap. Non. p. 538, 8 et saep.
      2. 2. In gen., a way, passage, channel, pipe, etc.; thus, a lane in a camp, Caes. B. G. 5, 49; a passage between the seats of a theatre, Mart. 5, 14, 8; Tert. Spect. 3; of the veins: omnes ejus (sanguinis) viae, Cic. N. D. 2, 55, 137; of the chyle ducts: quaedam a medio intestino usque ad portas jecoris ductae et directae viae, id. ib.; the windpipe, Ov. M. 15, 344; 14, 498; a cleft through which any thing penetrates, Verg. G. 2, 79; cf. Ov. M. 11, 515; the path or track of an arrow, Verg. A. 5, 526; a stripe in a party-colored fabric, Tib. 2, 3, 54 et saep.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., a way, method, mode, manner, fashion, etc., of doing any thing, course (cf. modus): vitae, Cic. Fl. 42, 105; id. Agr. 1, 9, 27; id. Sest. 67, 140; Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 26; Sen. Brev. Vit. 9, 5; Lact. Epit. 67, 12: via vivendi, Cic. Off. 1, 32, 118: rectam vitae viam sequi, id. ib.: Socrates hanc viam ad gloriam proximam dicebat esse, id. ib. 2, 12, 43: haec ad aeternam gloriam via est, Plin. 2, 7, 5, § 18: haec una via omnibus ad salutem visa est, Liv. 36, 27, 8: invenire viam ad mortem, Plin. Ep. 3, 16, 12: totidem ad mortem viae sunt, Sen. Contr. 1, 8, 6: cum eum hortarer ut eam laudis viam rectissimam esse duceret, Cic. Brut. 81, 281: haec est una via laudis, id. Sest. 65, 137: totam ignoras viam gloriae, id. Phil. 1, 14, 33: quae tum promptissima mortis via, exsolvit venas, Tac. A. 16, 17: habeo certam viam atque rationem, quā omnes illorum conatus investigare et consequi possim, Cic. Verr. 1, 16, 48: defensionis ratio viaque, id. ib. 2, 5, 1, § 4: non tam justitiae quam litigandi tradunt vias, id. Leg. 1, 6, 18: docendi via, id. Or. 32, 114: optimarum artium vias tradere, id. Div. 2, 1, 1: (di) non … nullas dant vias nobis ad significationum scientiam, id. ib. 2, 49, 102: rectam instas viam, i. e. you speak correctly, truly, Plaut. As. 1, 1, 41.
      Adverb.: rectā viā, directly: ut rectā viā rem narret ordine omnem, Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 28.
    2. B. Pregn. (cf. ratio), the right way, the true method, mode, or manner: ingressu’st viam, i. e. rectam, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 273: in omnibus quae ratione docentur et viā, primum constituendum est, quid quidque sit, etc., rationally and methodically, Cic. Or. 33, 116: ut ratione et viā procedat oratio, id. Fin. 1, 9, 29.
      Adverb.: viā, rightly, properly (opp. to wandering out of the way): ipsus eam rem secum reputavit viā, Ter. And. 2, 6, 11: viā et arte dicere, Cic. Brut. 12, 46.
    3. C. Viam perficere, i. e. to attain an end, Just. Inst. proöem. 1.