to cover a surface with concrete, stones, or other material to make a road or path; also used metaphorically to mean 'to make possible or prepare the way for.'
From Old French 'paver,' possibly from Latin 'pavire' (to beat, strike, or tread down). The metaphorical sense ('pave the way') became common by the 1600s.
The phrase 'pave the way' is so old it's metaphorically lost its original meaning—most people using it don't picture the literal process of spreading stones to level ground, showing how vivid metaphors fade into dead language.
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