I. ˈnet, usu -ed.+V noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English net, nett, nette, from Old English net, nett; akin to Old Saxon net, netti net, Middle Dutch net, nette, Old High German nezzi, Old Norse net, nōt, Gothic nati net, Latin nodus knot, Old Irish nascim I bind, and probably to Latin nassa fish basket and perhaps to Sanskrit nahyati he binds; basic meaning: to knot, weave
1.
a. : a meshed arrangement of threads, cords, or ropes that have been twisted, knotted, or woven together at regular intervals
b. : any of various devices made of net and used especially for catching fish, birds, or insects
c. : something made of net and used especially for protecting, confining, carrying, or dividing (as a cargo net or tennis net)
2. : something designed to entrap or ensnare
a man that flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet — Prov 29:5 (Revised Standard Version)
the engineer cannot escape the net of circumstances in which he is caught — W.P.Webb
3.
a. : a machine-twisted fabric in fine to coarse geometric meshes made usually of silk, rayon, nylon, or cotton and used for dresses, curtains, veils, or trimmings
b. : a handmade or machine-made background fabric for lace usually in fine geometric meshes
4. : something resembling a net in reticulation : a network of lines, fibers, or figures
a perfect net of steamer, bus and air service — Frederick Arnold
5.
a. : a three-sided structure that consists of poles and netting enclosing a wicket and that is used in cricket for batting and bowling practice
b. : a three-sided structure enclosed in netting and used as a goal in hockey or lacrosse — often used in plural
c. : a return of the ball in a racket game that goes into the net
6.
a. : a rigging of ropes and twine on a free balloon that supports the weight of the basket and distributes the load over the entire upper surface of the envelope
b. : a rectangular net of cordage used to restrain the envelope of a kite, balloon, or airship during inflation and before the car is attached
7.
a. : a group of communications stations operating under unified control on assigned frequencies and in accordance with a plan for the systematic handling and relay of radio traffic
Army radio net
b. : network 5
8. : a device made usually of canvas stretched in a frame and used for catching persons leaping from a building or other structure
II. verb
( netted ; netted ; netting ; nets )
transitive verb
1. : to cover or enclose with or as if with a net
to leave his favorite tree … after … netting it to keep off the birds — Maria Edgeworth
how dense a fold of danger nets him round — Alfred Tennyson
2. : to make in the style of or by means of network
is netting herself the sweetest cloak you can conceive — Jane Austen
3. : to catch as if in a net : capture by stratagem or wile
and now I am here, netted and in the toils — Sir Walter Scott
4.
a. : to use nets in for catching fish
netted the wallow and brought out scores of small fish — Francis Birtles
b. : to catch by means of a net
netted 15 tons of smelt in 10 minutes — American Guide Series: Michigan
5. : to cover with or as if with a network
her high plump cheeks were netted with little purple veins — Marguerite Steen
6. : to hit (a ball) into the net for the loss of a point in a racket game
intransitive verb
1. : to make nets or netting
was netting away as if nothing unusual had occurred — Elizabeth C. Gaskell
2. : to hit a ball into the net for the loss of a point in a racket game
3. : to combine into a communications net or network
III. adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French — more at neat (bright)
1. archaic : neat , trim
2. obsolete : clean , bright
3. : free from all charges or deductions: as
a. : remaining after the deduction of all charges, outlay, or loss
net earnings
net proceeds
— opposed to gross
b. : excluding all tare or tret
net weight
4.
a. : free from adulteration : pure
net wine
b. : excluding all nonessential or extraneous considerations : basic , fundamental
the net effect is one that disturbs many scholars — C.V.Newsom
the net result is a huge canvas of small-town life — C.J.Rolo
IV. transitive verb
( netted ; netted ; netting ; nets )
1.
a. : to make by way of profit : clear
netted $8000 a year from the restaurant
b. : to produce by way of profit : yield
the restaurant netted $8000 a year
2. : to get possession, control, use, or benefit of : gain
war experiences which netted him just about all the decorations there are — Clarence Woodbury
netting us less security than we would otherwise enjoy — Sidney Hook
V. noun
( -s )
1. : a net amount, profit, weight, or price
reduced taxes … partly accounted for the high net — Time
2. : the score of a golfer in a handicap match after deducting his handicap from his gross
3. : the fundamental point : essence , gist
the net of all these articles is that competition is dying — Raymond Moley
VI. transitive verb
( netted ; netted ; netting ; nets )
Etymology: Middle French netir, from Old French, from net clean, pure, bright — more at neat
dialect chiefly England : wash , rinse
VII. noun
Usage: often capitalized
Etymology: by shortening
: internet herein