Other forms: pathways
A pathway is a narrow way made for walking along. Gravel, paving or trodden earth.
It is very close to path, and the longer word tends to appear where somebody is being slightly formal or where the route is constructed rather than worn. The figurative sense has become very common in institutions, so a career pathway, a learning pathway and a care pathway all mean a planned route through a system. Biology has metabolic pathways, meaning chains of chemical reactions.
1nounpathwayA narrow way for walking along.
“A pathway runs behind the houses to the church.”
2nounplannedA planned route through a system or process.
“The college offers three pathways into engineering.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
Middle English
pathwei
English, today
pathway
From Middle English pathwei, equivalent to path + way. Cognate with German Pfadweg, Afrikaans padweg.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA