node / nōd/ • n. 1. a point at which lines or pathways intersect or branch; a central or connecting point. ∎  Comput. a piece of equipment, such as a PC or peripheral, attached to a network. ∎  Math. a point at which a curve intersects itself. ∎  Astron. either of the two points at which a planet's orbit intersects the plane of the ecliptic or the celestial equator. ∎  (in generative grammar) a vertex or endpoint in a tree diagram.2. Bot. the part of a plant stem from which one or more leaves emerge, often forming a slight swelling or knob.3. Anat. a lymph node or other structure consisting of a small mass of differentiated tissue.4. Physics & Math. a point at which the amplitude of vibration in a standing wave system is zero. ∎  a point at which a harmonic function has the value zero, esp. a point of zero electron density in an orbital. ∎  a point of zero current or voltage.DERIVATIVES: nod·al / ˈnōdl/ adj.ORIGIN: late Middle English (denoting a knotty swelling or a protuberance): from Latin nodus ‘knot.’

node
1. A point in a computer network where communication lines, such as telephone lines, electric cables, or optical fibers, are interconnected. The device used to make the connection(s) may be a simple electric interface – as used in a local area network. In more complex longer-distance networks a computer is required.

Node computers vary in their functional capabilities but their basic use is to switch incoming information to the necessary output line so that the information ultimately reaches its specified destination. The information may be transmitted as a whole or may be split into segments (see packet switching, message switching). When the information reaches its final destination, the node computer at this point will send it through to the recipient(s).

Nodes can also be called stations, and in many X25 networks the switching nodes are known as exchanges.

2. A substructure of a hierarchical data structure that cannot be further decomposed, e.g. a vertex in a graph or tree.

node (nohd) n. a small swelling or knot of tissue. See atrioventricular node, lymph (node), sinoatrial node. n. of Ranvier one of the gaps that occur at regular intervals in the myelin sheath of medullated nerve fibres, between adjacent Schwann cells. [ L. A. Ranvier (1835–1922), French pathologist]

node
1. (in botany) The part of a plant stem from which one or more leaves arise. The nodes at the stem apex are very close together and remain so in species of monocotyledons that form bulbs. In older regions of the stem they are separated by areas of stem called internodes.

2. (in anatomy) A natural thickening or bulge in an organ or part of the body. Examples are the sinoatrial node that controls the heartbeat (see pacemaker) and the lymph nodes.

node
1. A point of zero displacement in a material transmitting standing waves, produced by destructive interference between waves propagating in opposite directions.

2. In a phylogenetic tree, a representation of an extant (terminal node) or ancestral (internal node) operational taxonomic unit.