Few things in this world change as fast as languages. Every day, new words are created to deal with new ideas or new technologies. New meanings also are added to existing words. A dictionary published years ago may show one or two meanings for a word; a dictionary published today may list several more meanings for the same word.
Network is one such word. It combines two words. The first is "net," it means materials that are connected; the second is "work." One meaning of "work" is a system. Network means a connection of systems that work together. The systems that networks connect can be very different. For example, radio and television stations can be connected in the network, so can computers and even people.
Word expert Milford Matthew found written uses of the word "network" in the late 1800s. The word then was used as a verb, a word that shows action. At that time network meant the connection of railroads or other vehicles used for travel. One publication said it is only a question of time when the railroads will network an area of the American west called the "Pan Handle." Another publication of the time said complete areas are networked by trolley cars, which are a kind of electric train.
Now we often hear network used in connections with broadcasting. The Barnhart Dictionary of New English says that as early as 1914, people used it to mean a connected system of radio stations. This meaning continues to be popular. A more modern use of the word "network" is linked to computers. A network is a system that links a number of computers together. Networks make it possible for people who use computers to share informa.
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