▪ I. ˈnetwork, n.
[f. net n.1 + work n. Cf. Du. netwerk, G. netzwerk, Da. netværk, Sw. nätverk.]
1. Work in which threads, wires, or similar materials, are arranged in the fashion of a net; esp. a light fabric made of netted threads.
| 1560 Bible (Genev.) Exod. xxvii. 4 Thou shalt make vnto it a grate like networke of brasse. 1575 in J. W. Clay Clifford Fam. (1906) 35, I do give to my said aunte one suyte of networke. 1695 Wood Will in Life (O.H.S.) III. 503 All the network, that I am now possess'd of, and which was formerly left me by my mother. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 275 ¶5 Ribbons, Lace and Embroidery, wrought together in a most curious Piece of Network. 1781 E. Darwin Bot. Gard., Econ. Veget. iii. 556 So shoot the Spider-broods at breezy dawn, Their glittering net-work o'er the autumnal lawn. 1849 James Woodman ix, A light coif of network confined..the rich glossy curling hair. 1881 Truth 19 May 686/2 The train was of cerise satin and gold network. |
| transf. 1816 Shelley Alastor 446 The woven leaves Make net-work of the dark blue light of day. 1837 Whewell Hist. Induct. Sci. (1857) I. 135 A sort of band of net-work running round the middle of the sky. |
2. a. (With
a and
pl.) A piece of work having the form or construction of a net; a collection or arrangement (of some thing or things) resembling a net.
| 1590 Spenser Muiopot. 368 With this so curious networke [a spider's web] to compare. 1611 Bible Isa. xix. 9 They that weaue net-works shall be confounded. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. viii. 380 The galeon..was..provided against boarding..by a strong net-work of two inch rope. 1814 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 70/1 The fastening which secures the net-work and the valve at the top of the Balloon. 1849 Willmott Jrnl. Summer-time 19 July, A paper network is where a fire ought to be. 1881 Truth 19 May 686/2 The bodice is covered with a network of pearls. |
b. transf. Of structures in animals or plants.
| 1658 Sir T. Browne Gard. Cyrus iii. 55 This Reticulate or Net-work was also considerable in the inward parts of man. a 1729 Blackmore (J.), This curious and wonderful net-work of veins. 1783 Justamond tr. Raynal's Hist. Ind. V. 188 A mucous substance, which forms a kind of network between the epidermis and the skin. 1830 R. Knox Béclard's Anat. 214 Net-works which form in a great measure the serous..membranes. 1884 Bower & Scott De Bary's Phaner. 250 After entering the skin they pass over into a network of bundles. |
c. A complex collection or system
of rivers, canals, railways, or the like. Also without
of.
| 1839 Thirlwall Greece xlvii. VI. 110 The island, or net-work of islands, formed by the Danube. 1857 Livingstone Trav. x. 199 The flat prairies between the net-work of waters. 1869 Bradshaw's Railway Manual XXI. 346 The Antwerp and Rotterdam, in conjunction with the East Belgian and the Sambre and Meuse, is now worked under the title of the Great Central Belgian. The network thus constituted comprises 310 miles. Ibid. 348 The concessions accorded by a new convention..may be said to constitute a seventh great French network. Ibid. 366 The guarantee of interest given by the State on the new network capital. 1871 Freeman Hist. Ess. Ser. i. viii. 233 The Northmen..had surrounded their whole camp with a net⁓work of trenches. 1890 A. Hill tr. Obersteiner's Anat. Cent. Nervous Organs 161 The richer the network of rails the more numerous are the connections, the ‘tracts’ between the two chief termini. 1937 Discovery May 163/2 Few people realise how vast is the network of airlines which now links up the United States with Central and South America. 1950 Britannica Bk. of Year 682/2 Network, any system of related but not necessarily interconnected units; e.g., a network of naval bases. 1966 G. F. Allen British Rail after Beeching viii. 243 Each Region drafted a scheme to..thin out its depots to a network sited so that they could be economically served by feeder services direct from a yard handling long-distance trains. |
d. fig. An interconnected chain or system of immaterial things. Also
attrib. Also, a representation of interconnected events, processes, etc., used in the study of work efficiency. Hence
networking n.| 1816 Coleridge Lay Serm. (Bohn) 373 The arterial or nerve-like net-work of property. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Ability Wks. (Bohn) II. 43 Their law is a network of fictions. 1876 Freeman Norm. Conq. V. xxiv. 381 A network of feudal tenures is thus spread over the whole land. 1959 S. Beer Cybernetics & Management xi. 95 Each of the dots in the network represents some binary situation. 1964 K. G. Lockyer Introd. Critical Path Analysis i. 4 This could then be simplified to the diagram (now known as a network). 1964 A. Battersby Network Analysis ii. 13 It is not the purpose of this book to discuss such methods of charting in detail..but rather to point out why their inadequacies have made necessary a new method of charting: arrow diagrams, otherwise known as networks. 1966 S. Beer Decision & Control ix. 191 Naturally, the critical path through a converging network can be discovered under any criterion or balance of criteria. 1966 Economist 3 Dec. 1042/2 If one wanted to work out what was involved in doing something, an engineer would use a bar chart. (The ‘hard way’ in our charts showing the networking of a cup of tea.) 1967 S. Woodgate in Wills & Yearsley Handbk. Management Technol. v. 73 Network planning techniques first came into general use in 1957. Ibid. 74 Since 1957 hundreds of variations of network planning systems have proliferated and many of these variations have perished while undergoing the supreme test of operational effectiveness. Ibid. 98 Network, a schematic representation of events and activities which shows their inter-relationships. 1968 Listener 4 July 13/2 They propose..a ‘network’ system which would allow variety and versatility to be developed. 1970 O. Dopping Computers & Data Processing xxii. 345 Network planning helps to reveal all the possibilities for parallel operations, identify critical activities, and follow up the job... A network is built up of the different activities which constitute the project. 1970 Canadian Jrnl. Linguistics XV. 103 Once we express a grammar in terms of a relational network, intermediate symbols become completely superfluous. Ibid. 108 One can organize types of grammar in a two-by-two table. There are rewrite grammars and network grammars. |
e. A system of cables for the distribution of electricity to consumers;
spec. one in which interconnections are such that each consumer is supplied by more than one route; hence, any system of interconnected electrical conductors or components, sometimes including a source of e.m.
f., that provides more than one path for the current between any two points.
| 1883 Jrnl. Soc. Telegr.-Engineers & Electricians XII. 551 (heading) On a method of calculating the total horsepower expended in a network of conductors (such, for instance, as a system of street mains). 1914 J. W. Meares Electr. Engin. in India iii. 47 The terms ‘network’ and ‘distributor’ are also applied to any system of distributing mains. 1930 Dannatt & Dalgleish Electr. Power Transmission & Interconnection v. 110 Any network can be divided into conducting polygons or meshes. 1940 Proc. IRE XXVIII. 415/1 Figs. 3 and 4 represent mathematically identical networks, even though they refer to physically different systems. 1962 Newnes Conc. Encycl. Electr. Engin. 201/1 Distribution systems can be classified into the following basic categories: (a) Radial system. (b) Ring system: (i) h.v. feeders ring. (ii) l.v. distribution ring. (c) Network system. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. IX. 72/1 A network may be solved when it is possible to set up a number of independent equations equal to the number of unknown quantities. |
f. A broadcasting system, consisting of a series of transmitters capable of being linked together to carry the same programme; also, in a more general sense: a nation-wide broadcasting company; the broadcasting companies as a whole. Also
attrib.| 1914 W. A. Du Puy Uncle Sam's Modern Miracles 170 This great network of stations may not merely hurl forth its messages. 1933 B.B.C. Year Bk. 37 In step with the gradual nationalisation of the network, local autonomy has declined. 1941 B.B.C. Gloss. of Broadcasting Terms 20 Network cue, cue consisting of a standardized phrase which constitutes a signal for the performance of technical operations at switching centres and transmitting stations forming part of a network. 1956 Newsweek 7 May 59 On its three wholly owned TV stations, exclusive of network operations, CBS reported a total net investment as of Dec. 31, 1953, of $3.322.023. 1957 Listener 21 Nov. 853/3 His hour-by-hour account of what the networks were saying. 1961 Washington Post 17 Feb. A14 The Columbia Broadcasting System's handling of its excellent TV show ‘The Spy Next Door’ on Wednesday night at 10 is a good illustration of what is amiss with network television. 1966 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. xlii. 46 A Southern rustic's imitation of ‘network’ pronunciation. 1969 New Statesman 11 Apr. 506/1 If there were 100 commercial stations..on the air all day they would either have to negotiate..or have back-up programmes from some central concern— virtually a network outfit. 1970 New Yorker 28 Feb. 29/2 The more general avoidance of controversial issues which has been noticeable among politicians and on the networks and in the press. 1972 Daily Tel. 14 Aug. 7/6 The plans for Radios 1 and 2 are designed to put the networks into an impregnable position when the commercial companies start. 1972 Sci. Amer. Sept. 117/1 The radio and television broadcasting networks provide the people of the world with on-the-spot news reports, entertainment and educational programs through a billion radio and television receivers. 1972 J. L. Dillard Black English vi. 261 Many a preacher of this type [sc. ‘storefront’] presents a better performance on Sunday than is ever to be seen on network television. |
g. A structure proposed for glass in which the non-oxygen atoms (
usu. silicon) are joined together in a three-dimensional array by oxygen atoms.
| 1932 W. H. Zachariasen in Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. LIV. 3842 As in crystals, the atoms in glasses must form extended three dimensional networks. 1947 Jrnl. Soc. Glass Technol. XXXI. 117 A quantitative factor may be deduced which is..an indication of the extent to which these atoms may be expected to take part in the glass network. 1971 Oxidation of Metals & Alloys (Amer. Soc. for Metals) 42 Oxides of the form..M2O3 can form a network if the oxygens form triangles around each metal atom. |
h. An interconnected group of people; an organization. Also
attrib.| 1947 Science News IV. 37 He [sc. the habitual criminal]..is matching his brain and slender resources against all the might of a vast police network with infinite resource. 1954 [see girl n. 2 a]. 1957 E. Bott Family & Social Network iii. 62 Intermediate degrees of conjugal role-segregation and network-connectedness. Ibid. 92 Although the networks of husband and wife are distinct, it is very likely, even at the time of marriage, that there will be over-lapping between them. 1960 Analog Science Fact/Fiction Dec. 68/1 As long as they're allowed to think they haven't been spotted, they may lead the way to other spies or spy net-works. 1960 L. Pincus Marriage i. 15 Supports and satisfactions..normally provided by participation in..social and kinship networks are sought, and often not found, within the resources of marriage. 1972 Daily Tel. 19 June 2/1, I was paid..about {pstlg}500 for infiltrating the IRA network in London. 1973 Times 15 Aug. 21/7 ‘Multinational organizations are becoming increasingly integrated..’, especially in the case of ‘network’ companies having subsidiaries in many countries. 1974 ‘J. Le Carré’ Tinker, Tailor xxii. 196 Moscow..was busy denouncing him for blowing the San Francisco network. |
3. Used as a name for plants (see
quots.).
| 1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 156/2 The Dictyoleæ, or sea-net-works,..are characterised by the beautifully reticulated texture of the integument. 1897 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. Dec. 617 One [water-weed] known locally as network or silkwort, on account of its thread-like stems. |
4. attrib. or as adj. Made of network; arranged in the fashion of network.
| 1601 Holland Pliny xix. i. II. 3 The net-worke Habergeon or Curet of Amasis. 1658 Sir T. Browne (title) The Garden of Cyrus, or the Quincunciall, Lozenge, or Net-work Plantations of the Ancients. 1747 Johnson (title) To Miss..on her giving the Authour a Gold and Silk Net-work Purse, of her own weaving. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) I. 390 Seeds entangled in..network membranes. 1898 Daily News 19 Oct. 5/7 One of the network racks of a first-class compartment. |
† b. fig. Complicated, involved.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1675 Baxter Cath. Theol. ii. i. 255 You will have more solid..truth..than..such Writers do teach you in their learned Net-work treatises. |
5. attrib. and
Comb., as
network analyser, an assembly of inductors, capacitors, and resistors used to model an electrical network and facilitate its analysis;
network analysis, (
a)
Electr., calculation of the currents flowing in the various meshes of a network; (
b)
Work Study (see
quot. 1968;
cf. sense 2 d above);
network former, (a substance containing) an atom which can become part of the network of a glass; so
network-forming a.;
network modifier, (a substance containing) a metal ion which can occupy an interstice in the network of a glass; so
network-modifying a.;
network structure Metallurgy, the structure of an alloy in which one component forms a continuous network around the grains of the other component;
network theorem, any of various theorems about the currents and voltages in an electrical network that can be used to determine their values in any particular case.
| 1930 H. L. Hazen et al. in Trans. Amer. Inst. Electr. Engin. XLIX. 1102/1 The following paper deals with an improved form of network-computing device... The Network Analyzer, as this device is called, is installed in the Electrical Engineering Research Laboratory. 1945 Physical Rev. LXVII. 48/1 The tests reported here..indicate that it is practical to use for this purpose [sc. determining eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Schrödinger equation] existing a.c. network analyzers. 1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia VI. 625/2 Since World War II, digital computers have largely replaced network analyzers. |
| 1930 Trans. Amer. Inst. Electr. Engin. XLIX. 1102/1 Several types of experimental computing devices or miniature systems for network analysis have been developed. 1945 H. W. Bode Network Analysis & Feedback Amplifier Design xvi. 360 Expressions having the mathematical form of a reflection coefficient appear frequently in network analysis. 1962 Operations Res. X. 728 Network analysis—also known as PERT (program evaluation and review technique), PEP (program evaluation procedure), CPM (critical-path method), CPS (critical path scheduling), and arrow diagramming—for the planning and control of research and industrial projects and programs has been the subject of many published articles. 1966 Economist 3 Dec. 1043/1 The Post Office Savings Bank has made massive use of network analysis to control its move to Glasgow. 1968 Gloss. Terms Project Network Analysis (B.S.I.) 5 Project network analysis, a group of techniques for presenting information to assist the planning and controlling of projects. The information, usually represented by a network, includes the sequence and logical interrelationships of all project activities. 1969 Power System Protection (Electr. Council) I. iii. 201 Network analysis by manual computation may involve a very considerable amount of labour. 1973 A. Parrish Mech. Engineers' Ref. Bk. xx. 73 Network analysis is a general term which is used to embrace a whole series of similar planning methods dealing with project control. |
| 1947 Jrnl. Soc. Glass Technol. XXXI. 114 For some years it has been customary to classify the various constituents of glass into network formers, such as SiO2 and B2O3; intermediates..; and modifiers. 1966 C. R. Tottle Sci. Engin. Materials iii. 83 Aluminium occurs in the natural glass obsidian, as a network former, in the proportion of one aluminium to five silicon ions, with sodium and potassium to modify the network. |
| 1950 Kirk & Othmer Encycl. Chem. Technol. V. 723 Oxygen ratio is defined as the total number of oxygen ions to the total number of network-forming ions. 1971 Fehlner & Mott in Oxidation of Metals & Alloys (Amer. Soc. for Metals) 43 Ionic transport by anions is expected in network-forming oxides. |
| 1961 Progress Ceramic Sci. I. 7 Systematic measurement of elastic properties of glasses, containing various proportions of the single network former SiO2, and a single univalent network modifier, would be of great value in assessing the role of the network former in determining theoretical strength. 1971 Materials & Technol. II. vi. 335 Aluminium, when in tetrahedral coordination..is undoubtedly a network former, and when in octahedral configuration it is a network modifier. |
| 1950 Kirk & Othmer Encycl. Chem. Technol. V. 732 The ‘holes’ between these tetrahedral groups are considered to be occupied by the network-modifying ions. 1966 C. R. Tottle Sci. Engin. Materials iii. 83 Healing glass containing metallic ions that are network-modifying tends to move them into positions that are network-forming and so varies the colour. |
| 1939 E. C. Rollason Metall. for Engin. vii. 101 If sufficient time is allowed for the diffusion phenomena all the ferrite is precipitated, whilst the pearlite occupies the centre forming a network structure. 1940 E. J. Teichert Ferrous Metallurgy III. xiv. 317 Slow cooling will induce the Widmanstatten and rapid cooling will promote the network structure. 1965 A. D. Merriman Concise Encycl. Metall. 594 When the structure of an alloy is such that one constituent occurs partly or completely surrounding the crystals of another constituent, then the appearance of an etched section taken across the grains shows as a network structure. |
| 1930 Dannatt & Dalgleish Electr. Power Transmission & Interconnection vii. 220 (heading) Network theorems. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. IX. 75/2 In the solution of specific problems, much time can often be saved by making use of special methods or relations, known as network theorems. |
[2.] [c.] Substitute for
def.: A net-like or complex system or collection of or
of (
a) topographical features; (
b) lines of transportation; (
c) telecommunications routes,
esp. telephone lines. See also senses 2 e, f, j below. (Further examples.)
| 1889 [see switchboard a.]. 1974 U. Le Guin Dispossessed iv. 81 She intended that all communities be connected by communication and transportation networks, so that goods and ideas could get where they were wanted. 1986 Fortune 23 June 107/1 The company will concentrate on selling telephone networks and widely varied products, including computers, to plug into those networks. |
i. Math. A graph,
esp. a digraph, in which each edge has associated with it a non-negative number (its
capacity).
| 1962 Ford & Fulkerson Flows in Networks i. 2 A directed network or directed linear graph G = [N; {scrA}] consists of a collection N of elements x, y,.., together with a subset {scrA} of the ordered pairs (x, y) of elements taken from N. 1965 F. Harary et al. Structural Models xiv. 363 A network consists of a relation on a finite set V of points, with its set of lines denoted as usual by X, but also including a ‘value’ assigned to each line. 1972 R. J. Wilson Introd. Graph Theory viii. 133 We may now define a network N to be a digraph to each arc a of which has been assigned a non-negative real number ψ(a) called its capacity. |
j. Computing. A system of interconnected computers;
spec. ellipt. for
local area network s.v. *
local a. 2 d or
wide area network s.v. *
wide a. 12 c. Freq.
attrib.| 1962 Electr. Engin. LXXXI. 376 (heading) Airline computer networks speed reservations. 1972 [see node n. 7 b]. 1977 S. Hoener et al. in Internat. Microcomputers/Minicomputers/Microprocessors '77 xiii. 99 Several computer networks already exist among large scale computers mainly,..or a large scale computer is connected with a star-shaped net of minicomputers... But there are already pure networks made up of minicomputers only. 1984 Which Micro? Dec. 20/1 Extras:..econet network interface. 1986 Daily Tel. 21 Nov. 4/4 One result of buying different types of equipment has been their lack of compatibility within a network. |
▪ II. network, v. (
ˈnɛtwɜːk)
[f. the n.] a. To cover with a network.
| 1887 Courier-Jrnl. (Louisville, Kentucky) 24 Jan. 8/1 It is only a question of time when railroads will net-work the Pan-handle. 1914 Cycl. Amer. Govt. III. 139/1 Whole regions are networked, and one can go by trolley car from the Atlantic to the Middle West. 1928 E. Wright Great Horn Spoon xviii. 217 Gourds and several varieties of squashes networked the compound with their vines. |
b. To broadcast simultaneously over a network of radio or television stations.
| 1940 [implied in networking vbl. n. below]. 1952 Sun (Baltimore) 12 Feb. 14/3 Matthews beat Murphy in a bout networked out of Madison Square Garden. 1957 Times 28 Aug. (Radio & Television Suppl.) p. iii/3 This practice of networking the major items will continue. 1958 Observer 21 Sept. 16/6 The first sample of This Wonderful World to be networked in England came up to high expectation. 1968 Times 13 Nov. 1 (Advt.), Early in 1969 Thames Television are networking twelve one hour documentaries about one man. 1973 Times 8 Jan. 3/2 His series on the castles of Wales is being networked. |
c. To link (computers) together to make possible one or more of several functions, as the transfer of data, the sharing of processing capability or workloads, and accessibility from many locations.
| 1972 [implied at networking vbl. n. below]. 1982 Which Computer? June 64/1, 16-bit systems..capable of supporting up to 16 processors which can be networked together to allow up to 256 simultaneous users. 1983 Austral. Microcomputer Mag. Sept. 51/1 Personal computers will be heavily networked. 1984 E. P. DeGarmo et al. Materials & Processes in Manuf. (ed. 6) xxxviii. 942 The microcomputers of the CNC machine tools are networked together. 1985 Personal Computer World Feb. 5 (Advt.), We specialise in networking your IBM PC's and Apricots together using manufacturers' related products. |
Hence
ˈnetworked ppl. a.;
ˈnetworking vbl. n. and ppl. a.| 1940 Porterfield & Reynolds We present Television iv. 149 Television, now that a practicable means of networking has been developed, has been supplied with the final implement necessary for the creation of what will eventually be a nation-wide service. 1956 Newsweek 7 May 59 The television networking business is a complicated and delicate business. 1962 Rep. Comm. Broadcasting 1960 159 in Parl. Papers 1961–2 (Cmnd. 1753) IX. 259 They must..use an old recorded networked programme. 1968 Listener 8 Aug. 187/1 The new companies..operate within a networking system still dominated by Granada, ATV and Thames. 1970 New Statesman 4 Sept. 281/3 A small [television] company can rely on getting full networking for just about four programmes a year... This figure of about four hours' worth of fully networked television time ought to be placed beside..the fact that STV is obliged..to do nine hours' output of its own every week. 1971 Writing for B.B.C. 65 Scotland contributes to all the networked series described under the ‘Drama’ heading... Plays intended for networking..should not be so Scottish that they cannot be readily understood by listeners in the other parts of the British Isles. 1972 Computers & Humanities VII. 96 The potential contribution of computer networking to research and education. 1974 Telecommunications VIII. 37/2 The markets for both stand-alone computers and networked computers will grow. 1978 New Scientist 7 Sept. 669 Networking also means that particular jobs can be run on special machines rather than many machines handling all types of jobs which is inefficient. Ibid. It would be sensible to build networked systems enabling expensive machines to serve a large number of users. 1982 Financial Times 18 Jan. (Survey: Computers) p. ix/4 The future trend in computing is towards networked systems, which will link together a wide variety of information-processing equipment. 1985 Personal Computer World Feb. 192/2 Local area networking involves the transmission of data..between participating nodes on the network. 1985 Acorn User Feb. 21/3 Meadnet is a low-cost networking system which allows up to 16 BBC micros to share disc drives and printer. |
Add:
2. intr. To make use of one's membership of a ‘network’ (sense 2 h) to associate or communicate (
with a person or group,
esp. of business colleagues),
usu. on an informal basis, and
esp. for the exchange of information, etc., or for professional or other advantage.
orig. U.S.| 1980 M. S. Welch Networking 3 This book will show you how to network. 1982 Working Woman June 84 (caption) Recreational activities offer time to network with colleagues. 1983 Washington Post 20 Apr. b7/2 If you've networked with people when you were doing a film, you have a natural interest in seeing their reaction to the film. 1984 South China Morning Post (Business News Suppl.) 27 Jan. 8/7 Most female executives need to network with men more than women. 1988 Times 25 Mar. 21/1 She wanted publicity for her charity and seized the opportunity to network. |
Also
ˈnetworker n. one who uses a network (see
esp. sense 2 of the
vb.).
| 1976 Forbes (N.Y.) 15 Feb. 65/1 What's in it for your adult participants, the networkers..? There's an ego gratification to sharing what you're good at with someone who really wants to lap it up. 1980 M. S. Welch Networking i. 18 A good networker uses every resource available to her, and that includes men. 1983 Internat. Managem. Oct. 9/1 Many top managers are beginning to show signs of weariness from the demands placed on their time by ‘networkers’ who commonly seek advice and information and introductions leading to job opportunities. 1985 Age (Melbourne) 30 Nov. 13/1 The most successful networker of all time? Has to be fourth man Antony Blunt. |