network

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