What does path mean?
A path is a route or track that someone can follow, whether physically through a landscape or conceptually toward a goal. It may be a narrow woodland trail, a way of proceeding through an organization, a course followed by a projectile, or, in computing, a sequence of directories and files that identifies the location of digital information. The verb path means to travel along a route, particularly across snow, mud, or other difficult terrain, and gives the word a more literary or descriptive quality. In everyday discussion, expressions such as “the path to success” frame a path as the means by which an objective is reached. In technical contexts, a file path is not merely a route but a structured address used by a computer system. Although path and its variants such as pathway can suggest direction and progress, the basic term remains broadly applicable across physical, metaphorical, and digital contexts.
A route, track, or way that can be followed; also a way of proceeding toward an outcome, the trajectory of an object, or, in computing, a sequence identifying the location of a file or resource.
"The mountain path was blocked by fallen branches."
The computing sense uses “path” for a structured sequence of directory or file names.
To walk or travel along a route, especially through snow, mud, or difficult ground.
"The hunters pathed through the blizzard."
This verb is less frequent than the noun and often occurs in descriptive or literary contexts.
The regular plural adds “-s”; in computing, a path may also refer to a collection of pathnames.
"The installer searches several paths for the required library."
In computing, a path can name a file, a folder, or the route the system searches to find one—making this everyday word essential to navigating the digital world.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of path
The word entered Middle English in the late medieval period through Old French path, from Latin pathus, meaning “way” or “path.” Latin pathus was associated with Greek pathos, originally referring to a path or passage and also to suffering or feeling. English later developed several derivatives, including pathway and pathless, while the Greek-rooted vocabulary produced words such as sympathy, empathy, and pathology.
Related word forms
How path is actually used
As a noun, path is especially common for a physical route through a landscape or for a procedural route toward a result. In computing, the term refers specifically to an ordered sequence of names identifying a location. As a verb, it is less common and often has a literary or descriptive tone.