route

1. (figuratively) One of multiple methods or approaches to doing something.Examples: "If such an option is to viable over time, it needs to be protected against competitors. Having patent protection is one route. […] Another route is to have a programmatic investment strategy […]. Rolex has taken this route […]"figuratively

2. (historical) One of the major provinces of imperial China from the Later Jin to the Song, corresponding to the Tang and early Yuan circuits.Examples: "The Chinese, ever since the first century of our era, have called the countries which we to-day name Kashgar and Sungaria, "routes." They referred them to their relative position on the two sides of the Tian-Shan, and called our Sungaria, Pe-lu, " northern route," and our Kashgar, Nan-lu, " southern route." The Turks gave other names to these countries; they called the northern route besh-balik, "the five cities," Pentapolis; the southern route was alti-shehr, " the six cities," Hexapolis."; "Under the director were eight education promotion officials (quanxue yuan), each installed in a “route”(lu,corresponding to the policing ward)."; "In the year Zhiyuan 8, 5th month, on xinwei day (around June, 1271), owing to the fact that the chieftains of the eight polities in Dali had submitted recently and were adhered to [China], the thirty-seven tribal regions under Dali were divided into three routes."historical

3. (computing) A specific entry in a router that tells the router how to transmit the data it receives.

4. (horse racing) A race longer than one mile.

5. (rail transport) A path that has been secured by a railway signalling system for the passage of a train and locked to prevent any conflicting train movements from taking place.