street [OE] A street is literally a road with a paved surface, based on Latin strata via ‘paved way’. Some ancient Roman roads in Britain preserve this usage in their names, such as Watling Street (from Dover to Wroxeter) and Ermine Street (from London to Lincoln and York). The modern use, referring to a public road that runs between lines of houses and buildings, also goes back to Anglo-Saxon times. We have used the phrase the man on the street to refer to an ordinary person in contrast to an expert since the late 18th century. See also man.