A Node Is a Knot, in Every Field That Uses It
A node is a point of connection or concentration. The word means a knot.
A node is a point at which lines meet, a swelling, or a junction in a network. Latin *nodus* means a knot, and every technical use keeps that image: a plant's node is the knotty point where a leaf joins the stem, a lymph node is a swelling on a vessel, a network node is where connections tie together, and a node on a vibrating string is a point of no motion. The same root gives *knot* itself only by coincidence of sound — English *knot* is Germanic, not Latin.
- A junction. *A network node.*
- A plant joint. *A leaf node.*
- A lymph node. *A swollen node.*
- A point of no motion. *A node on a string.*
- Latin — *nodus*, a knot. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | node | A node. |
| Plural | nodes | Nodes. |
| Adjective | nodal | Nodal. |
| Related | nodule | A nodule. |
| Latin | nodus | A knot. |
- Traffic passes through the node.Network.
- Cut below the leaf node.Gardening.
- Nodus means a knot.Etymology.
The nodus family
- Node — a knot or junction
- Nodule — a small knot or lump
- Knot — Germanic, only coincidentally similar
- Denouement — French, the untying of a plot
- Noose — probably from the same Latin root
Latin *nodus*, a knot, adopted in English in the 1500s.
What does node literally mean?
A knot. Every technical sense keeps that image, from a plant's leaf joint to a junction in a network.
Is knot the same word?
No. English knot is Germanic and only resembles the Latin nodus by coincidence.