As a noun, a structure built over water, a road, or a gap so people and vehicles can cross; as a verb, to connect or reduce a distance or difference.
From Old English “brycg,” meaning “bridge,” related to other Germanic words for bridges. It has always described something that spans a gap.
We talk about “bridging cultures” or “bridging the gap” because the physical idea—something solid crossing empty space—is so powerful. The word turned a piece of engineering into one of our favorite thinking metaphors.
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