# pathway

Pronunciation: US say "PATH-way" /ˈpæθˌweɪ/; UK say "PAHTH-way" /ˈpɑːθˌweɪ/

## Noun

1. A footpath or other track for walking from one place to another.
   - Simple: A small path or track that people walk along.
   - _A stone pathway wound between the flower beds toward the fountain._
   - _The park's pathways were lined with old oak trees._
2. A course of action chosen to reach a particular result.
   - Simple: A way of doing something to reach a goal.
   - _The treaty offered a pathway to lasting peace between the two nations._
   - _Each student can follow a different pathway through the training program._
3. In biochemistry, a chain of compounds and the reactions that convert one into the next, together making up a metabolic or catabolic process.
   - Simple: A series of chemical steps that cells use to break down or build up substances.
   - _The glycolytic pathway converts glucose into pyruvate through a series of enzyme-driven steps._
   - _Researchers mapped the metabolic pathways involved in cholesterol synthesis._

## Origin

From Middle English pathwei, equivalent to 'path' plus 'way', with cognates including German Pfadweg and Afrikaans padweg.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pathway (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).