path — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A trail for the use of, or worn by, pedestrians.

   Synonyms

   track

   Examples

   Yet ere to to-morrow's ſun ſhall ſhew his head, / The dewy paths of meadows we will tread, / For crowns and chaplets to adorn thy head.

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   I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.

2. A course taken.

   Examples

   the path of a meteor, of a caravan, or of a storm

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   Just before Warwick reached Liberty Point, a young woman came down Front Street from the direction of the market-house. When their paths converged, Warwick kept on down Front Street behind her, it having been already his intention to walk in this direction.

3. A metaphorical course or route; progress.

   Examples

   ⁠But thou and I have shaken hands, ⁠Till growing winters lay me low; ⁠My paths are in the fields I know, And thine in undiscover’d lands.

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   As I explored the possibility of a library science path, having previously been employed in libraries during my school career and afterwards, I decided that I needed to actually experience work in a library setting full time again […]

4. A method or direction of proceeding.

   Examples

   All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.

   The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

5. A Pagan tradition, for example witchcraft, Wicca, druidism, Heathenry.

6. A human-readable specification for a location within a hierarchical or tree-like structure, such as a file system or as part of a URL.

   Examples

   Use the network path \\Marketing\Files to find the documents you need.

7. A sequence of vertices from one vertex to another using the arcs (edges). A path does not visit the same vertex more than once (unless it is a closed path, where only the first and the last vertex are the same).

8. A continuous map f from the unit interval I=[0,1] to a topological space X.

9. A slot available for allocation to a railway train over a given route in between other trains.

   Examples

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   "Permissive" working allows more than one train to be in a block section at one time but trains must be run at low speed in order to stop on sight behind the train in front. Such working is often authorised to allow freight trains to "bunch" together to await a path through a bottleneck instead of being strung out over several block sections, as would be necessary if absolute working were in force.

   ... while the planned hourly fast 'Connect' service from Middlesbrough to Newcastle has been postponed indefinitely due to problems in finding paths for it on the East Coast main line.

   Echoing McNaughton's comments in 2009, it adds: "The WCML has exhausted its available train paths and no extra services could be run without further significant investment to enhance current infrastructure or build a new line.

Verb

1. To make a path in, or on (something), or for (someone).

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

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   His ghoſtly counſells onely doe aduiſe, / The meanes hovv Langlies progenie may riſe, / Pathing young Henries vnaduiſed vvaies, / A Duke of Yorke from Cambridge houſe to raiſe, […]

2. To navigate through a file system directory tree (to a desired file or folder).

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   Next, you need to path to the location of the executable and run it from there.

3. To pathfind.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

Noun

1. Pathology.

   Usage

   • abbreviation
   • Uncountable

Noun

1. a course of conduct

   Synonyms

   wayway of life

   Broader terms

   coursecourse of action

   Examples

   the path of virtue

   we went our separate ways

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   our paths in life led us apart

   genius usually follows a revolutionary path

2. a way especially designed for a particular use

   Broader terms

   way

3. an established line of travel or access

   Synonyms

   routeitinerary

   Broader terms

   line

4. a line or route along which something travels or moves

   Synonyms

   trackcourse

   Broader terms

   line

   Examples

   the hurricane demolished houses in its path

   the track of an animal

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   the course of the river