I. ˈnet noun
Etymology: Middle English nett, from Old English; akin to Old High German nezzi net
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : an open-meshed fabric twisted, knotted, or woven together at regular intervals
b. : something made of net: as
(1) : a device for catching fish, birds, or insects
(2) : a fabric barricade which divides a court in half (as in tennis or volleyball) and over which a ball or shuttlecock must be hit to be in play
(3) : the fabric that encloses the sides and back of the goal in various games (as soccer or hockey)
2. : an entrapping device or situation
caught in the net of suspicious circumstances
3. : something resembling a net in reticulation (as of lines, fibers, or figures)
4.
a. : a group of communications stations operating under unified control
b. : network 4
5. often capitalized : Internet
• net·less -ləs adjective
• net·like -ˌlīk adjective
• net·ty ˈne-tē adjective
II. transitive verb
( net·ted ; net·ting )
Date: 1593
1. : to cover or enclose with or as if with a net
2. : to catch in or as if in a net
3. : to cover with or as if with a network
4.
a. : to hit (a ball) into the net for the loss of a point in a racket game
b. : to hit (a ball or puck) into the goal for a score (as in hockey or soccer) ; also : to score (a point or goal) by netting a ball or puck
• net·ter noun
III. adjective
Etymology: Middle English, clean, pure, from Anglo-French — more at neat
Date: 15th century
1. : free from all charges or deductions: as
a. : remaining after the deduction of all charges, outlay, or loss
net earnings
net worth
— compare gross
b. : excluding all tare
net weight
2. : excluding all nonessential considerations : basic , final
the net result
net effect
IV. transitive verb
( net·ted ; net·ting )
Date: 1758
1.
a. : to receive by way of profit : clear
b. : to produce by way of profit : yield
2. : to get possession of : gain
V. noun
Date: circa 1904
1. : a net amount, profit, weight, or price
2. : the score of a golfer in a handicap match after deducting his or her handicap from the gross score
3. : essence , gist