net

I. 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 • netless adjective • netlike adjective • netty adjective II. transitive verb (netted; netting) 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 • netter 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 (netted; netting) 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