voies

Voies is the plural of voie in French, a word used to denote a route, path, or channel through which movement, transmission, or flow occurs. In general, the term encompasses physical routes as well as abstract pathways that enable processes to proceed.

In transportation and infrastructure, voies designate channels for movement and access. This includes roads and streets (voies de circulation, voies publiques), railway lines (voies ferrées), and air routes (voies aériennes) used for travel and transport. The term also appears in traffic engineering and urban planning to describe designated travel lanes, access routes, and the alignment of networks that connect places and services.

In biology and medicine, voies refer to pathways or channels essential to physiological processes. Examples include voies nerveuses (neural pathways) that transmit signals in the nervous system, and voies métaboliques (metabolic pathways) that describe sequences of biochemical reactions. Other anatomical uses include voies biliaires (bile ducts) and voies aériennes (airways) within the respiratory system. The notion of a pathway also appears in pharmacology and pathology when describing mechanisms of transmission or progression of diseases.

In information, communication, and science, voies can denote channels for the dissemination of information, energy, or signals. Voies de diffusion or taxonomies of transmission are used to map how something travels from one state to another within a system.

Etymologically, voie comes from Latin via, meaning road or way. The plural voies is widely used across disciplines to emphasize the specific conduits by which things move, act, or develop. See also channel, pathway, route.