Connected

How to spell connected

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce connected

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does connected mean?

1. adjectiveJoined or linked together, whether physically, logically, or through a relationship.
2. verbPast tense of connect: joined, linked, or established a link between things.

Connected in a sentence

• adjective

  The printer stayed connected to the office network all morning.

• verb

  The engineer connected the new cable to the main router.

• adjective

  The two rooms are connected by a narrow hallway.

• verb

  The bridge finally connected the island to the mainland.

Where does connected come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb connectere, which meant 'to bind or fasten together', formed from the prefix con- ('together') and nectere ('to tie or bind'). The same nectere root sits behind words such as 'annex' and the rarer 'nexus', which still carries the sense of a binding point or link. English took the verb 'connect' from Latin in the early 1600s, and 'connected' is simply its past form pressed into service as both a verb tense and a descriptive adjective. The spelling keeps the doubled letters of con- meeting nect, and that double 'n' followed by a clear 'ct' cluster is what trips writers who expect a single 'n'. Over time the meaning broadened from physically joining things to describing relationships, ideas, transport links, and electronic networks, while the tidy Latin structure stayed intact.

How the word is built

• con- (together)
• nect (from Latin nectere: to bind, tie)
• -ed (past participle/adjective suffix)