$path
–
Search Path for Commands
$path defines where the shell searches for commands.
Entries are searched left to right.
When you invoke a command just by name, e.g. man instead of /usr/bin/man, then the executable file is searched in $path.
$PATH is a POSIX variable and contains the same data as a colon-separated value.
Links
BashSupport Pro is a Zsh IDE with support for $path – try it now!