node

noun

ˈnōd 

1

a

: a pathological swelling or enlargement (as of a rheumatic joint)

b

: a discrete mass of one kind of tissue enclosed in tissue of a different kind

2

: an entangling complication (as in a drama) : predicament

3

: either of the two points where the orbit of a planet or comet intersects the ecliptic

also : either of the points at which the orbit of an earth satellite crosses the plane of the equator

4

a

: a point, line, or surface of a vibrating body or system that is free or relatively free from vibratory motion

b

: a point at which a wave has an amplitude of zero

5

a

: a point at which subsidiary parts originate or center

b

: a point on a stem at which a leaf or leaves are inserted

c

: a point at which a curve intersects itself in such a manner that the branches have different tangents

d

: vertex sense 2b

Synonyms

• bump
• knot
• lump
• nodule
• swelling

Examples of node in a Sentence

the doctor examined the node on my knee before deciding it was the result of arthritis

Recent Examples on the Web

In November, the White House again came to Israel’s defense, with Kirby sharing a declassified intelligence assessment saying that Hamas was using hospitals as command-and-control nodes, weapons depots, and hideaways for Israeli hostages. —David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

These missiles can reach Chinese ships in the Taiwan Strait and likely also the command-and-control nodes and air defense systems along the coast of mainland China. —Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024

The Node Nation students will learn how to run a Bitcoin node and a Lightning Network node and also how to operate Bitcoin mining equipment. —Javier Bastardo, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024

Like lunar eclipses, solar eclipses align with the moon’s nodes, invisible points in the solar system where the sun’s ecliptic and the moon’s orbital path intersect. —Emily Newhouse, Allure, 5 Apr. 2024

From the codex’s astronomical tables, researchers know that the Maya tracked the lunar nodes, the two points where the orbit of the Moon intersects with the ecliptic– the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, which from our point of view is the path of the Sun through our sky. —Kimberly H. Breuer, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024

The Arpanet, the precursor to the internet, was in its first years of operation, and the institute was the second node — or point of connection — on the nascent network. —Katie Hafner, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024

This node, which looks like a contact lens, contains more than half a million nerve cells. —Brenda Goodman, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024

Starting with a one-petabyte configuration that includes eight storage nodes, WEKApod can scale up to hundreds of nodes to meet organizations' growing data storage demands. —Steve McDowell, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin nodus knot, node; akin to Middle Irish naidm bond

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing node

• angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia
• atrioventricular node
• A-V node
• giant lymph node hyperplasia
• lymph node
• mucocutaneous lymph node disease
• mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome
• node of Ranvier
• sinoatrial node
• sinus node

Kids Definition

node

noun

ˈnōd 

1

a

: a thickened or swollen enlargement (as of a joint with rheumatism)

b

: a mass of tissue in the body resembling a knot

2

: a point on a stem at which a leaf is inserted

Medical Definition

node

noun

ˈnōd 

1

a

: a pathological swelling or enlargement (as of a rheumatic joint)

b

: a body part resembling a knot

especially : a discrete mass of one kind of tissue enclosed in tissue of a different kind see atrioventricular node, lymph node

2

: a point, line, or surface of a vibrating body that is free or relatively free of vibratory motion