# path
## English
### Etymology 1

From Middle English path, peth, from Old English pæþ (“path, track”), from Proto-West Germanic *paþ, from Proto-Germanic *paþaz (“path”). The Proto-Germanic term is possibly borrowed from Iranian, from Proto-Iranian *pántaHh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *pántaHs, from Proto-Indo-European *póntoh₁s, from the root *pent- (“to pass”), however this is disputed. Cognate with West Frisian paad, Dutch pad, German Pfad. Indo-Iranian cognates could be Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬧‎𐬙𐬃 (paṇ‎tā̊, “way”), Old Persian 𐎱𐎰 (p-θ /⁠paθi⁠/)), Sanskrit पन्था (panthā). See also English find). Doublet of panth.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /pɑːθ/
** (Received Pronunciation) IPA: [pʰɑːθ]
** (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA: [pʰäːθ], [pʰɐːθ]
* IPA: /pæθ/
** (US, Canada) IPA: [pʰæθ], [pʰɛəθ], [pʰeəθ]
** (Northern England, Ireland) IPA: [pʰaθ], [pʰæθ]
* Audio (US):(file)
* Audio (UK):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɑːθ, -æθ

#### Noun

path (plural paths)
* A trail for the use of, or worn by, pedestrians.
** a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The Epithalamium of Helen and Menelaus. From the 18th Idyllium of Theocritus.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume II, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 412: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.
** 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC: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.
* A course taken.
    the path of a meteor, of a caravan, or of a storm
** 1900, Charles W[addell] Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], →OCLC: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.
* A metaphorical course or route; progress.
** 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XXXIX, page 61:⁠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.
** 2002, Priscilla K. Shontz, Steven J. Oberg, Jump Start Your Career in Library and Information Science, page 21: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 […]
* A method or direction of proceeding.
** 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 25:10:All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.
** 1750 June 12 (date written; published 1751), T[homas] Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in Designs by Mr. R[ichard] Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], published 1753, →OCLC:The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
* (paganism) A Pagan tradition, for example witchcraft, Wicca, druidism, Heathenry.
* (computing) 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.
    Hyponym: filepath
    Use the network path \\Marketing\Files to find the documents you need.
* (graph theory) 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).
* (topology) A continuous map $f$ from the unit interval $I=[0,1]$ to a topological space $X$.
* (rail transport) A slot available for allocation to a railway train over a given route in between other trains.
** 1962 October, “Talking of Trains: The collisions at Connington”, in Modern Railways, page 232:"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.
** 2019 October, James Abbott, “Esk Valley revival: December 2019 changes”, in Modern Railways, page 78:... 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.
** 2020 May 6, Philip Haigh, “Just one more stop on the long journey to HS2 fulfillment [sic]”, in Rail, page 65: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.

##### Synonyms

* (1): track, trail; see also Thesaurus:way

##### Hypernyms

* bridle path
* classpath
* cross paths
* cycle path
* footpath
* subpath

##### Derived terms

* absolute path
* bang path
* base path
* bicycle path
* bike path
* boom path
* bridle-path
* by-path
* cart path
* cess path
* click path
* critical path
* cross someone's path
* data path
* desire path
* directed path
* eightfold path
* Eulerian path
* flare path
* flight path, flightpath
* forced path
* garden path
* garden-path
* garden-path sentence
* garden path sentence
* glide path
* Hamiltonian path
* happy path
* herd path
* lead someone down the garden path, lead someone up the garden path
* left-handed path
* left-hand path
* mean free path
* middle path
* noble eightfold path
* null path length
* off the beaten path
* path analysis
* path cascade
* path-connected
* path dependence
* path dependency
* path integral formalism
* pathion
* path length
* path loss
* path of least resistance
* path of totality
* path rush
* path tracer
* path tracing
* path traversal
* pathway
* primrose path
* return path
* right-handed path
* right-hand path
* sample path
* shared use path
* speech path
* spirit path
* swept path
* thought-path
* thought path
* tool path
* towing path
* undirected path
* whale-path
* which-path information
* zombie path

##### Translations

Albanian: shteg (sq), këshyrë
Apache:
Western Apache: ʼintin
Arabic: طَرِيق (ar) m (ṭarīq), صِرَاط m (ṣirāṭ)
Aromanian: cãrari f
Bashkir: һуҡмаҡ (huqmaq)
Basque: bide (eu), bidexka, bidezidor
Belarusian: сце́жка f (scjéžka)
Bengali: তরিকা (bn) (torika), পথ (bn) (poth)
Bulgarian: път (bg) m (pǎt), пътека (bg) f (pǎteka)
Catalan: sendera f, sender m
Cherokee: ᏅᏃᎯ (nvnohi), ᎡᏓᏍᏗ (edasdi)
Chichewa: njira
Chinese:
Mandarin: 路徑 / 路径 (zh) (lùjìng), 蹊徑 / 蹊径 (zh) (xījìng), 道路 (zh) (dàolù)
Czech: stezka (cs), pěšina (cs)
Danish: sti (da) c, havegang c, passage (da) c
Dutch: pad (nl) n
Egyptian: (wꜣt f)
Esperanto: aleo (eo), pado (eo), vojo (eo), vojeto
Estonian: rada
Faroese: leið f, gøta (fo) f
Finnish: polku (fi)
French: sentier (fr) m, chemin (fr) m
Galician: senda f, sendeiro (gl) m, corredoira f, camiño (gl) m, carreiro m, trullo m, curripa f, carroucho m, cambeiro m, barrancallo m, branxeiro m, canexa f, callustra f
Georgian: ბილიკი (biliḳi)
German: Pfad (de) m
Greek: μονοπάτι (el) n (monopáti), ατραπός (el) f (atrapós)
Ancient: τρίβος m or f (tríbos)
Haitian Creole: chemen
Hebrew: דֶּרֶךְ (he) f (dérekh)
Hindi: पथ (hi) (path)
Hungarian: ösvény (hu), gyalogút (hu)
Icelandic: leið (is) f
Indonesian: jalan (id)
Ingrian: troppa
Italian: sentiero (it) m
Japanese: 通路 (ja) (つうろ, tsūro), 小道 (ja) (こみち, komichi), (in a rice field) 畦道 (ja) (あぜみち, aze-michi)
Karakalpak: soqpaq
Kazakh: жол (kk) (jol)
Khmer: ផ្លូវ (km) (pləv), ផ្លូវជើង (pləv cəəng), ផ្លូវលំ (pləv lum)
Kongo: nzila
Korean: 길 (ko) (gil)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ڕێ (rê), ڕێگە (rêge)
Lao: please add this translation if you can
Latgalian: styga
Latin: sēmita f, trāmes m
Latvian: taka (lv)
Ligurian: sentê m, camìn m
Lingala: nzila
Lithuanian: takas
Macedonian: пат (mk) m (pat)
Malay: jalan (ms)
Malayalam: പാത (ml) (pāta), വഴി (ml) (vaḻi)
Marathi: पथ (mr) (path)
Mwani: njira
Norman: sente f (Jersey), ch'min m (Guernsey), c'mîn m (Jersey)
Northern Ohlone: 'ín̄u'
Nyunga: bidee
Occitan: camin (oc) m, sendièr m, carrairon (oc) m
Old Javanese: hĕnu
Old Prussian: lunki f
Ottoman Turkish: یول (yol)
Paiwan: djalan
Pashto: لار (ps) f (lār)
Persian: گذر (fa) (gozar), گدار (fa) (godâr)
Pitjantjatjara: iwara
Polish: ścieżka (pl) f
Portuguese: trilha (pt) f, caminho (pt) m, senda (pt) f
Romanian: cărare (ro), potecă (ro)
Russian: тропа́ (ru) f (tropá), тропи́нка (ru) f (tropínka), доро́жка (ru) f (doróžka), стезя́ (ru) f (stezjá) (poetic)
Sanskrit: पथ (sa) (patha), पन्थ m (pantha)
Scottish Gaelic: slighe f
Serbo-Croatian: put (sh), staza (sh)
Slovak: cestička (sk) f
Slovene: pot (sl) f, steza (sl) f
Spanish: senda (es) f, sendero (es) m
Swahili: ujia (sw)
Swedish: stig (sv) n
Tagalog: landas (tl), daan (tl)
Tamil: பாதை (ta) (pātai)
Tarifit: abrid m
Telugu: కాలిబాట (te) (kālibāṭa)
Thai: รอย (th) (rɔɔi), ทาง (th) (taang)
Turkish: patika (tr)
Ugaritic: 𐎐𐎚𐎁 (ntb)
Ukrainian: сте́жка f (stéžka), стежи́на f (stežýna), стежи́нка f (stežýnka)
Urdu: پتھ (path)
Venetan: troi
Vietnamese: đường mòn (vi)
Volapük: luveg (vo)
Walloon: pî-sinte (wa) f, pazea (wa) m
Welsh: llwybr (cy) m
West Frisian: paad n
Western Bukidnon Manobo: enug, dalan
Yámana: ruta
Yapese: woq
Yiddish: שליאַך m (shlyakh), וועג m (veg), וואַרע f (vare), דרך f (derekh) :
    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### Verb

path (third-person singular simple present paths, present participle pathing, simple past and past participle pathed)
* (transitive) To make a path in, or on (something), or for (someone).
** 1597, Michaell Draiton [i.e., Michael Drayton], “[Englands Heroicall Epistles.] Duke Humfrey to Elinor Cobham.”, in Poems: […], London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] Ling, published 1605, →OCLC, folio 56, verso: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, […]
* (computing, intransitive) To navigate through a file system directory tree (to a desired file or folder).
    Next, you need to path to the location of the executable and run it from there.

### Etymology 2

Shortening.

#### Noun

path (uncountable)
* (medicine, abbreviation) Pathology.

### References

* Oxford English Dictionary [draft revision; June 2005]
* “path”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

### Further reading

* Anatoly Liberman (2015 November 4) “The Oxford Etymologist”, in OUPblog‎, Oxford University Press, archived from the original on 23 November 2024, Pathfinders

### Anagrams

* Ptah, phat

## Middle English
### Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English pæþ, from Proto-West Germanic *paþ, from Proto-Germanic *paþaz, from an Iranian language, from Proto-Iranian *pántaHh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *pántaHs.
The spellings paath and pathe and Scots paith prove that a pronunciation of this word with /aː/ existed; it presumably originated from open-syllable lengthening in inflected forms.

#### Alternative forms

* paath, paaþ, pathe, paththe, paþ, paþþe
* pað, peþ (Early Middle English)

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /paθ/, /paːθ/
* (early, dialectal) IPA: /pɛθ/
* Rhymes: -aθ

#### Noun

path (plural pathes)
* An informal or unpaved path or trail; a track.
* A choice or way of living; a doctrine.
* (rare, Late Middle English) A course or route.
* (rare, Late Middle English) A vessel or vein.

##### Derived terms

* bypath
* pathen
* pathynge

##### Descendants

* English: path
* Scots: peth, paith

##### References

* “pā̆th, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-08.

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

path
* Alternative form of pathen