A pathway is a route or track that leads from one place to another. When you walk along a pathway through a park, you're following a cleared trail that makes getting around easier than pushing through bushes or tall grass. Pathways can be paved with concrete, covered in gravel, or simply worn into the dirt by many feet walking the same route over time.

The word also describes a course or route toward a goal. When teachers talk about different pathways to success, they mean there are various ways to achieve what you want. One student might follow a pathway through science and engineering, while another takes a pathway through art and design. Both can lead to meaningful careers and accomplishments.

In science, the word describes specific routes that things follow. Your body has neural pathways where signals travel through your brain and nerves, like well-worn trails for information. Scientists study metabolic pathways to understand how your body converts food into energy, following the chemical reactions step by step, like tracking a journey on a map.

The beauty of pathways is that someone else often created them, whether by planning and building or simply by walking the same route repeatedly until the grass wears away. When you follow a pathway, you're benefiting from the work of those who came before you.