network
,
n
1. Work in which threads, wires, or similar materials, are
arranged in the fashion of a net;
esp
. a light fabric made
of netted threads.
2. d.
fig
. An interconnected chain or system of
immaterial things.
-- Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edn
Network
. Anything reticulated or decussated at equal
distances, with interstices between the intersections.
-- Dr Samuel Johnson,
A Dictionary of the
English Language
, 1755
A
network
is a system in which the components are
connected to each other such that a change in the state of one
component can have some effect on the states or connections of the
other components.
Cohen.
§124,
Tending Adam's Garden
. 2000