1. [n]  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"
2. [n]  a way especially designed for a particular use
3. [n]  an established line of travel or access
4. [n]  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"

1. \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.
   
            The dewy paths of meadows we will tread. --Dryden.
   
   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.
   
            All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth. --Ps.
                                                  xxv. 10.
   
            The paths of glory lead but to the grave. --Gray.
   
   

2. \Path\ (p[.a][th]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Pathed}
   (p[.a][th]d); pr.p. & vb. n. {Pathing}.]
   To make a path in, or on (something), or for (some one). [R.]
   ``Pathing young Henry's unadvised ways.'' --Drayton.
   
   

3. \Path\, v. i.
   To walk or go. [R.] --Shak.
   
   

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]