pathname

A pathname defines exactly where a file or directory is located in the Unix filesystem.

In a full pathname, the location is given in relation to the root (/) directory, for example

    /home/ucs/016/nxyz/words.txt

The full pathname can be displayed using the pwd command

The ~ (tilde) character in can be used in place of the full pathname to a home directory:

    ~nxyz/words.txt

is equivalent to the pathname given above.

In a relative pathname, the name of a directory or file is given in relation to the current working directory. The directory immediately above the current directory is denoted by .. (two full stops). So that

    ../../words.txt

refers to a file 2 levels up in the directory hierarchy.