Network

How to spell network

7 letters · 2 syllables

2 of the 113 people asked to spell network in Spelling Garden got it wrong the first time.

How to pronounce network

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does network mean?

1. nounA group or system of interconnected people, computers, or things that are linked together.
2. verbTo interact with others in order to exchange information and develop useful contacts.

Network in a sentence

• noun

  The computer network went down for two hours this morning.

• verb

  She went to the trade show to network with potential clients.

• noun

  She built a strong professional network over years of attending conferences.

• verb

  Young graduates are encouraged to network actively while job hunting.

Where does network come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Network is a transparent compound of two very old native English words, net and work, both inherited from Old English. The first element, net, descended from the Old English net, meaning a mesh of knotted cords used for catching fish or birds, and the second, weorc, simply meant a piece of made or built work. Joined together in the sixteenth century, network first described literal openwork fabric, lace, or netting in which threads or wires crossed at regular intervals to leave open spaces. From that very concrete image of crossing lines, the meaning spread outward to anything arranged in an interlinking pattern: networks of canals and railways in the nineteenth century, then of radio and broadcasting stations, and finally the electronic and social networks of today. Because both halves are everyday words spelled exactly as they sound, the only real spelling point is remembering it is written as one solid word rather than two.

How the word is built

• net (Old English net: mesh of knotted cords)
• work (Old English weorc: structure, labour)