path

[path, pahth] /pæθ, pɑθ/
noun, plural paths [path z, pahth z, paths, pahths] /pæðz, pɑðz, pæθs, pɑθs/ (Show IPA)
1.
a way beaten, formed, or trodden by the feet of persons or animals.
2.
a narrow walk or way:
a path through a garden; a bicycle path.
3.
a route, course, or track along which something moves:
the path of a hurricane.
4.
a course of action, conduct, or procedure:
the path of righteousness.
5.
Mathematics. a continuous curve that connects two or more points.
6.
Computers. the sequence of steps that a computer follows in carrying out a routine, as in storing and retrieving a file at a specific location.
Idioms
7.
cross one's path, to encounter or meet unexpectedly:
Tragedy crossed our path again.
Origin
before 900; Middle English; Old English pæth; cognate with German Pfad
Related forms
multipath, noun
outpath, noun
Synonyms
1. footpath, pathway. Path, lane, trail are passages or routes not as wide as a way or road. A path is a way for passing on foot; a track, beaten by feet, not specially constructed, is often along the side of a road: a path through a field. A lane is a narrow road or track, generally between fields, often enclosed with fences or trees; sometimes it is an alley or narrow road between buildings in towns: a lane leading to a farmhouse; Drury Lane. A trail is a rough way made or worn through woods, or across mountains, prairies, or other untraveled regions: an Indian trail.
Examples from the web for paths
  • paths not taken the development, structure, and aesthetics of the alternative history.
  • Each designer seems to have his own paths, his own successes and failures.
  • This represents the fact that all paths are connected and unchanging.
  • In other cases, mystical paths follow a separate but parallel course.
  • It is very difficult to create standard on identical encryption paths.
  • There is also a network of bike paths throughout the city and surrounding region.
  • A plate heat exchanger has many ridged plates, which form two separate paths.
  • This enabled him to view the paths of nerve cells in the brain for the first time.
  • The plant is often found in waste and disturbed places and along roadsides and paths.
British Dictionary definitions for paths

path

/pɑːθ/
noun (pl) paths (pɑːðz)
1.
a road or way, esp a narrow trodden track
2.
a surfaced walk, as through a garden
3.
the course or direction in which something moves: the path of a whirlwind
4.
a course of conduct: the path of virtue
5.
(computing) the directions for reaching a particular file or directory, as traced hierarchically through each of the parent directories usually from the root; the file or directoryand all parent directories are separated from one another in the path by slashes
Derived Forms
pathless, adjective
Word Origin
Old English pæth; related to Old High German, German Pfad
Word Origin and History for paths

path

n.

Old English paþ, pæþ "path, track," from West Germanic *patha- (cf. Old Frisian path, Middle Dutch pat, Dutch pad, Old High German pfad, German Pfad "path"), of unknown origin. The original initial -p- in a Germanic word is an etymological puzzle. Watkins says the word is "probably borrowed (? via Scythian) from Iranian *path-," from PIE root *pent- "to tread, go, pass" (cf. Avestan patha "way;" see find (v.)), but this is too much of a stretch for OED and others. In Scotland and Northern England, commonly a steep ascent of a hill or in a road.

Related Abbreviations for paths

PATH

  1. Port Authority Trans-Hudson
  2. Program for Appropriate Technology in Health
Idioms and Phrases with paths

path

see: