path \path\ (p[.a]th), n.; pl. paths (p[.a][th]z). [AS.
   p[ae][eth], pa[eth]; akin to D. pad, G. pfad, of uncertain
   origin; cf. Gr. pa`tos, Skr. patha, path. [root]21.]
   1. A trodden way; a footway.
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            The dewy paths of meadows we will tread. --Dryden.
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   2. A way, course, or track, in which anything moves or has
      moved; route; passage; an established way; as, the path of
      a meteor, of a caravan, of a storm, of a pestilence. Also
      used figuratively, of a course of life or action.
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            All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth. --Ps.
                                                  xxv. 10.
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            The paths of glory lead but to the grave. --Gray.
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	Path \Path\ (p[.a][th]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pathed
   (p[.a][th]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Pathing.]
   To make a path in, or on (something), or for (some one). [R.]
   "Pathing young Henry's unadvised ways." --Drayton.
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	Path \Path\, v. i.
   To walk or go. [R.] --Shak.
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	path
    n 1: a course of conduct; "the path of virtue"; "we went our
         separate ways"; "our paths in life led us apart"; "genius
         usually follows a revolutionary path" [syn: way, path,
         way of life]
    2: a way especially designed for a particular use
    3: an established line of travel or access [syn: path,
       route, itinerary]
    4: a line or route along which something travels or moves; "the
       hurricane demolished houses in its path"; "the track of an
       animal"; "the course of the river" [syn: path, track,
       course]

	

	109 Moby Thesaurus words for "path":
   air lane, air line, air route, airway, alameda, approach, artery,
   avenue, beat, beaten path, beaten track, berm, bicycle path,
   boardwalk, boulevard, break, bridle path, broken circuit, catwalk,
   channel, circuit, circuital field, closed circuit,
   complete circuit, condensation trail, contrail, corridor, course,
   dead circuit, direction, drag, esplanade, fastwalk, flight path,
   foot pavement, footpath, footway, galvanic circuit, game plan,
   garden path, groove, highway, hiking trail, hot circuit, itinerary,
   lane, lateral circuit, leg, line, live circuit, loop,
   magnetic circuit, mall, means, method, microcircuit,
   multiple circuit, multiple series, orbit, parade, passage, pathway,
   piste, plan, prado, primrose path, printed circuit, procedure,
   process, promenade, public walk, road, round, route, run, runway,
   rut, scenario, scent, scheme, sea lane, series multiple, short,
   short circuit, shortcut, sidewalk, signs, spoor, strategy, street,
   technique, thoroughfare, tour, towing path, towpath, traces, track,
   trade route, trail, traject, trajectory, trajet, trottoir,
   vapor trail, vector field, wake, walk, walkway, way

	

	path
 n.

    1. A bang path or explicitly routed Internet address; a node-by-node
    specification of a link between two machines. Though these are now obsolete
    as a form of addressing, they still show up in diagnostics and trace
    headers occasionally (e.g. in NNTP headers).

    2. [Unix] A filename, fully specified relative to the root directory (as
    opposed to relative to the current directory; the latter is sometimes
    called a relative path). This is also called a pathname.

    3. [Unix and MS-DOS/Windows] The search path, an environment variable
    specifying the directories in which the shell (COMMAND.COM, under MS-DOS)
    should look for commands. Other, similar constructs abound under Unix (for
    example, the C preprocessor has a search path it uses in looking for #
    include files).

	

	path

   1.  A bang path or explicitly routed Internet
   address; a node-by-node specification of a link between two
   machines.

   2.  pathname.

   3.   The list of directories the kernel
   (under Unix) or the command interpreter (under MS-DOS)
   searches for executables.  It is stored as part of the
   environment in both operating systems.

   Other, similar constructs abound under Unix; the C
   preprocessor, for example, uses such a search path to locate
   "#include" files.

   [Jargon File]

   (1996-11-21)