Main Entry: ¹net

Pronunciation: \ˈnet\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English nett, from Old English; akin to Old High German nezzi net

Date: before 12th century

1 a : an open-meshed fabric twisted, knotted, or woven together at regular intervals b : something made of net: as (1) : a device for catching fish, birds, or insects (2) : a fabric barricade which divides a court in half (as in tennis or volleyball) and over which a ball or shuttlecock must be hit to be in play (3) : the fabric that encloses the sides and back of the goal in various games (as soccer or hockey)
2 : an entrapping device or situation <caught in the net of suspicious circumstances>
3 : something resembling a net in reticulation (as of lines, fibers, or figures)
4 a : a group of communications stations operating under unified control b : network 4
5 often capitalized : internet

— net·less \-ləs\ adjective

— net·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— net·ty \ˈne-tē\ adjective