I. ˈpa]th, ˈpaa(ə)], ˈpai], ˈpȧ] noun
( plural paths ]thz also ]ths)
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English pæth, path; akin to Old Frisian path, Middle Dutch & Middle Low German pad, pat, Old High German pfad
1. : a track made by the frequent or habitual use of men or animals : a trodden way
a multiplicity of interesting paths crossed the featureless land — E.E.Shipton
2. : a track specially constructed for a particular use (as walking or horseback riding)
a garden path of flagstones
touring path
3. dialect Britain : a deep cut in a steep road
4.
a. : the way or course traversed by something : route
the path of a meteor
a caravan's path
b. : a way of life, conduct, or thought
courage for the difficult path he must follow — H.M.Parshley
families and friends put roadblocks on the path of romance — Bertha J. Lueck
c. sometimes capitalized : a course of religious duty : a prescription of religious obligation : a way or method of action prescribed for the devotees of a particular religion
the Sufi path
5. mathematics : the continuous series of positions or configurations assumed in any motion or process of change by any moving or varying system
6. : a line of communication over interconnecting neurones extending from one organ or center to another
the optic path from the retina to the cerebral cortex
7.
a. : the way or course traversed by light or electricity between two points
b. : the iron parts of a magnetic circuit
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
archaic : go along (as a way or course) : travel , tread
intransitive verb
obsolete : move , walk
for if thou path , thy native semblance on — Shakespeare
III. abbreviation
pathological; pathology
IV. noun
: a sequence of arcs in a network that can be traced continuously without retracing any arc