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.

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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

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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.

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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

Submitted by Ghana's President John Mahama and backed by the African Union, it aims to provide a pathway to healing and the payment of reparations.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Riyadh has long said it would only agree to the pact if there were a clear pathway toward a Palestinian state.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

Because that study was conducted in animals, the findings cannot be directly applied to people, but they add to the broader evidence that oral bacteria can influence the nitrate pathway.

From Science Daily • May 25, 2026

The Exeter team found evidence that beetroot juice changed the oral microbiome in older adults in a way that appeared to support this pathway.

From Science Daily • May 25, 2026

The passageway between the houses was like a pathway with stones carefully placed on each side of the walkway.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Related Words

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