Tao

A Chinese word meaning ‘the way’ that occurs in all the religions of China. Within Buddhist circles, it became synonymous with the path of practice and the goal towards which one strove. To ‘attain the Way’ (Chinese, te tao) became a term indicating the achievement of nirvāṇa. See also Taoism.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)