different between path vs access

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English path, peth, from Old English pæþ (“path, track”), from Proto-West Germanic *paþ, from Proto-Germanic *paþaz (“path”) (compare West Frisian paad, Dutch pad, German Pfad), Ancient Greek ????? (paté?) / ????? (pátos), from Iranian (compare Avestan ????????????????????? (panta, “way”), ????????????????? (pa?a, genitive), Old Persian [script needed] (pathi-)), from Proto-Iranian *pántaHh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *pántaHs (compare Sanskrit ????? (páthin)), from Proto-Indo-European *póntoh?s, from *pent- (“path”) (compare English find). Doublet of panth.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p???/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [p????]
  • (General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): [p?ä??], [p????]
• IPA^(key): /pæ?/
  • (US, Canada) IPA^(key): [p?æ?], [p????], [p?e??]
  • (Northern England, Ireland) IPA^(key): [p?a?], [p?æ?]
• Rhymes: -???, -æ?

Noun

path (plural paths)

1. A trail for the use of, or worn by, pedestrians.
2. A course taken.
   • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Chapter I,

     Just before Warwick reached Liberty Point, a young woman came down Front Street from the direction of the market-house. When their paths converged, Warwick kept on down Front Street behind her, it having been already his intention to walk in this direction.

3. (paganism) A Pagan tradition, for example witchcraft, Wicca, druidism, Heathenry.
4. A metaphorical course.
5. A method or direction of proceeding.
   • 1751, Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

     The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

6. (computing) A human-readable specification for a location within a hierarchical or tree-like structure, such as a file system or as part of a URL.

7. (graph theory) A sequence of vertices from one vertex to another using the arcs (edges). A path does not visit the same vertex more than once (unless it is a closed path, where only the first and the last vertex are the same).
8. (topology) A continuous map ${\displaystyle f}$ from the unit interval ${\displaystyle I=[0,1]}$ to a topological space ${\displaystyle X}$.
9. (rail transport) A slot available for allocation to a railway train over a given route in between other trains.

Synonyms

• (1): track, trail; see also Thesaurus:way

Hypernyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

path (third-person singular simple present paths, present participle pathing, simple past and past participle pathed)

1. (transitive) To make a path in, or on (something), or for (someone).
   • 1597, Michael Drayton, England's Heroical Epistles

     pathing young Henry's unadvised ways

Etymology 2

Shortening.

Noun

path (uncountable)

1. (medicine, abbreviation) Pathology.

References

• Oxford English Dictionary [draft revision; June 2005]
• “path”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Anagrams

• Ptah, phat

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English pæþ, from Proto-Germanic *paþaz, from an Iranian language, from Proto-Iranian *pántaHh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *pántaHs.

Alternative forms

• paþ, peth, paþþe, paaþ, pathe, paththe, pað, paath

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pa?/, /pa??/, /p??/
• Rhymes: -a?

Noun

path (plural pathes)

1. An informal or unpaved path or trail; a track.
2. A choice or way of living; a doctrine.
3. (rare, Late Middle English) A course or route.
4. (rare, Late Middle English) A vessel or vein.

Related terms

• pathen
• pathyng

Descendants

• English: path
• Scots: paith

References

• “p??th, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-08.

Etymology 2

From path (noun).

Verb

path

1. Alternative form of pathen

English

Etymology 1

• First attested in the early 14th century.
• (entrance): First attested about 1380.
• From Middle English accesse, acces, from Middle French acces (“attack, onslaught”) or from its source Latin accessus, perfect passive participle of acc?d? (“approach; accede”), from ad (“to, toward, at”) + c?d? (“move, yield”). Doublet of accessus.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?æks?s/
• (General American) enPR: ?k?s?s', IPA^(key): /?æk?s?s/
• Hyphenation: ac?cess

Noun

access (countable and uncountable, plural accesses)

1. (uncountable) A way or means of approaching or entering; an entrance; a passage.
   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost

     All access was thronged.

2. (uncountable) The act of approaching or entering; an advance.
3. (uncountable) The right or ability of approaching or entering; admittance; admission; accessibility.
4. (uncountable) The quality of being easy to approach or enter.
   • c. 1600, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet Act 2 Scene 1

     I did repel his fetters, and denied His access to me. - Shakespeare, Hamlet, II-i
5. (uncountable) Admission to sexual intercourse.
   • 1760s, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England

     During coverture, access of the husband shall be presumed, unless the contrary be shown.

6. (archaic, countable) An increase by addition; accession
   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost

     I, from the influence of thy looks, receive access in every virtue.

7. (countable) An onset, attack, or fit of disease; an ague fit.

   • The first access looked like an apoplexy.

8. (countable) An outburst of an emotion; a paroxysm; a fit of passion
   • 1946, Arnold J. Toynbee, A Study of History (Abridgement of Volumes I-VI by D.C. Somervell)

     It appears that, about the middle of the fourth century of the Christian Era, the Germans in the Roman service started the new practice of retaining their native names; and this change of etiquette, which seems to have been abrupt, points to a sudden access of self-confidence and self-assurance in the souls of the barbarian personnel which had previously been content to 'go Roman' without reservations.

9. (uncountable, law) The right of a noncustodial parent to visit their child.
10. (uncountable, computing) The process of locating data in memory.
11. (uncountable, networking) Connection to or communication with a computer program or to the Internet.

Usage notes

• (outburst, paroxysm): sometimes confused with excess.

Derived terms

• access day
• direct access
• random access
• remote access

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

• First attested in 1962.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?æks?s/, /?k?s?s/
• (General American) enPR: ?k?s?s', ?k-s?s?, IPA^(key): /?æk?s?s/, /?k?s?s/
• Hyphenation: ac?cess

Verb

access (third-person singular simple present accesses, present participle accessing, simple past and past participle accessed)

1. (transitive) To gain or obtain access to.
2. (transitive, computing) To have access to (data).

   I can't access most of the data on the computer without a password.

Translations

References

• access in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• access in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• access at OneLook Dictionary Search
• access in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.