pathway

American  

[path-wey, pahth-] / ˈpæθˌweɪ, ˈpɑθ- /

noun

1. a path, course, route, or way.

2. Biochemistry. a sequence of reactions, usually controlled and catalyzed by enzymes, by which one organic substance is converted to another.

---

pathway British  

/ ˈpɑːθˌweɪ /

noun

1. another word for path path

2. a route to or way of access to; way of reaching or achieving something

3. courses taken by a student to gain entry to a higher course or towards a final qualification

4. biochem a chain of reactions associated with a particular metabolic process

---

pathway Scientific  

/ păth′wā′ /

1. A chain of nerve fibers along which impulses normally travel.

2. A sequence of enzymatic or other reactions by which one biological material is converted to another.

---

Other Word Forms

• pathwayed adjective

Etymology

Origin of pathway

First recorded in 1530–40; path + way ¹

Explanation

A pathway is a trail or other walkway. Hikers often follow a well-worn pathway as they walk through the woods. Use the noun pathway to mean a walk, path, or trail — any marked way that's meant or used for walking. The pathway you follow on your way to school might lead you over a stream and through a field, or it might meander down a narrow city alley. Pathway is essentially a longer, redundant way to say "path," and in fact it comes from path and its Old English root pæþ, "path or track," which has a Germanic origin.

Example Sentences

The jump in oil prices comes as world leaders struggle to find a pathway to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

“Yet the pathway has almost vanished in a single generation.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Additional studies showed that the amino acids enhance a cellular pathway that allows nanoparticles to enter cells more efficiently.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026

“We were just honest with him, that as things stood, the only real pathway … was in the bullpen,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters at the time.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

It’s part of Art and Archaeology at the University of Toronto, which is the only sanctioned pathway that leads anywhere close to art.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• artery
• asphalt
• avenue
• boulevard
• byway
• expressway
• freeway
• highway
• lane
• parking lot
• path
• pavement
• route
• street
• subway
• superhighway
• terrace
• thoroughfare
• turnpike
• viaduct