'multi-laned' originates from a combination of Latin-derived prefix and Old English, specifically the prefix 'multi-' from Latin 'multus' meaning 'many' and the word 'lane' from Old English 'lanu' (via Middle English 'lane') meaning 'a narrow way'. The adjectival form is created by adding '-ed' to form 'multi-laned'.

'lane' comes from Old English 'lanu' and Middle English 'lane'; the prefix 'multi-' derives from Latin 'multus'. In modern English these elements were combined (with the adjectival suffix '-ed') to form compounds like 'multi-laned' to describe roads with multiple lanes.

Initially the elements meant 'many' (multi-) and 'narrow way' (lane); over time the compound came to mean specifically 'having multiple lanes' in the context of roads or carriageways.