route

Route comes from Middle English route, borrowed from Old French route, which traces back to Latin rupta — a path made by force. The idea is of breaking through, not simply walking along.

The facts at hand don't detail a shift in meaning, only the path of the word itself: from Latin rupta to Old French route to Middle English route, arriving largely intact.

It shares a root with routine, and further back, with bankrupt — through Latin ruptus. It's unrelated to road, despite the overlap in meaning.