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