nodes
|node|
🇺🇸
/noʊd/
🇬🇧
/nəʊd/
(node)
intersection point
Etymology
'node' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'nodus', where 'nodus' meant 'knot'.
'node' passed into English via Old French (e.g. 'noeud') and Middle English, evolving from Latin 'nodus' into the modern English word 'node'.
Initially, it meant 'knot' or 'tie', but over time it broadened to mean any 'point of intersection, swelling, or critical point' (e.g., network point, graph vertex, anatomical swelling).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a device, computer, or other physical or logical entity connected to a network that can send, receive, or forward information.
The network's nodes were upgraded to improve performance.
Synonyms
Noun 2
in graph theory or data structures, a point (vertex) where lines or edges meet or branch.
Algorithms traverse the nodes to explore the graph's connectivity.
Synonyms
Noun 3
in biology or anatomy, a discrete swelling or mass such as a lymph node; or, in botany, a point on a plant stem from which leaves, branches, or buds grow.
The doctor checked several swollen nodes for signs of infection.
Synonyms
Noun 4
in physics (waves), a point along a standing wave where the amplitude is always zero.
Nodes in the standing wave remain stationary while antinodes oscillate strongly.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/01 21:37