I. ˈnōd noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin nodus knot, node — more at net
1. : a complication or difficulty (as in a drama) : predicament , entanglement
2. : a thickened or swollen enlargement (as on the trunk of a tree) : knob , protuberance
a. : a pathological swelling or enlargement (as one in the neighborhood of a joint affected by rheumatism or gout or a firm tumor)
b. : a body part resembling a knot ; especially : a discrete mass of one kind of tissue enclosed in tissue of a different kind
the lymph nodes of the intestinal wall
3. : either of the two points where the orbit of one celestial body intersects a specific reference plane (as the ecliptic in the solar system or the plane of the sky for a double star system) — see ascending node , descending node
4. : a point at which subsidiary parts originate or center:
a. : the often swollen or otherwise modified point on a stem or similar structure at which a leaf or leaves are inserted
b. : a point at which a curve intersects itself in such a manner that the branches have different tangents
c. : a point in an electrical network at which several branches come together
5. : a point, line, or surface of a vibrating system that is constantly free or relatively free from vibratory motion (as the middle point of a stretched vibrating string constrained to vibrate in two equal segments or a point in a conductor at which the current or voltage remains zero or at a minimum)
II. noun
1. : vertex 1a(2)
2. : a receiving or transmitting station (as a computer terminal) in an electronic communications network
3. : a point in a linguistic phrase marker that represents a constituent and that usually bears a category label (as NP)