directory

A directory is a file folder; it contains other files. Directories can also contain other directories; this is used to organize related files into categories. The user can construct a hierarchy of sub-directories and files that resembles an inverted tree in structure. Each user has a home directory that represents the top level of the users personal hierarchy of other directories and files. The current directory is a single directory (selectable by the user) that enables the user to be in one directory at a time, and to refer to its files unambiguously. To refer to files in other directories, the user must supply a path, that is, a list of the sub-directories that describe the location of those files.

See also current, file, operating system.