Definitions

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A large network{3} of numerous computers connected through a number of major nodes of high-speed computers having high-speed communications channels between the major nodes, and numerous minor nodes allowing electronic communication among millions of computers around the world; -- usually referred to as the internet. It is the basis for the World-Wide Web.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any set of computer networks that communicate using the Internet Protocol. (An intranet.)
  • noun The Internet, the largest global internet.
  • noun An internet connection, internet connectivity, access to the internet.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange

Etymologies

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Examples

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  • "How gay and delightful life would be if one could get rid of all the human contacts! Perhaps, in the future, when machines have attained to a state of perfection--for I confess that I am, like Godwin and Shelley, a believer in perfectibility, the

    perfectibility of machinery--then, perhaps, it will be possible for those who, like myself, desire it, to live in a dignified seclusion, surrounded by the delicate attentions of silent and graceful machines, and entirely secure from any human intrusion. It is a beautiful thought."

    "Beautiful," Denis agreed. "But what about the desirable human contacts, like love and friendship?"

    The black silhouette against the darkness shook its head. "The pleasures even of these contacts are much exaggerated," said the polite level voice.

    - Aldous Huxley, Crome Yellow

    April 1, 2008

  • Do you think the “Internet” should be capitalized or is it time to minusculize it?

    I’ll probably use the word in a formal (American English) text and I would like to make it look progressive, but not at the expense of moderateness.

    (As comparison: I now prefer “email” to “e-mail”.)

    There is also a Wikipedia article about this topic.

    Thanks.

    January 16, 2010

  • lower case plural with article always makes me smile... "the internets".

    January 16, 2010

  • Yeah, that’s Bush-speak: Wikipedia: internets ^^

    And there is also a video.

    January 16, 2010

  • I use this a lot.

    May 30, 2013

  • In 1992, all the websites on the internet were listed in one book.. this one: http://books.google.ca/books?id=4_8QLDDoFhsC

    The whole Internet: user's guide & catalog by Ed Krol.

    February 20, 2014