node (n?d)n.1. a. A knob, knot, protuberance, or swelling.b. Medicine A small, well-defined mass of tissue that is either normal or pathological, as a lymph node or a node at an arthritic joint.2. a. A point or area where two lines, paths, or parts intersect or branch off: “The nodes, or branching points, are usually demarcated by sets of one or more new, evolutionary characters that typify all taxa” (Pat Shipley).b. A focal point or a point of interaction: “Inside the hospital, she became a node of gossip, despite being unable to communicate in the usual way” (Oliver Sacks).3. a. Botany The point on a stem where a leaf is attached or has been attached; a joint.b. See knot1.4. Physics A point or region of virtually zero amplitude in a wave or periodic system.5. Mathematics The point at which a continuous curve crosses itself.6. Computers A terminal in a computer network.7. Astronomy a. Either of two diametrically opposite points at which the orbit of a planet intersects the ecliptic.b. Either of two points at which the orbit of a satellite intersects the orbital plane of a planet.[Middle English, lump in the flesh, from Latin n?dus, knot; see ned- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.node (n??d) n1. a knot, swelling, or knob2. (Botany) the point on a plant stem from which the leaves or lateral branches grow3. (General Physics) physics a point at which the amplitude of one of the two kinds of displacement in a standing wave has zero or minimum value. Generally the other kind of displacement has its maximum value at this point. See also standing wave Compare antinode4. (Mathematics) maths Also called: crunode a point at which two branches of a curve intersect, each branch having a distinct tangent5. (Linguistics) maths linguistics one of the objects of which a graph or a tree consists; vertex6. (Mathematics) maths linguistics one of the objects of which a graph or a tree consists; vertex7. (Astronomy) astronomy either of the two points at which the orbit of a body intersects the plane of the ecliptic. When the body moves from the south to the north side of the ecliptic, it passes the ascending node; moving from the north to the south side, it passes the descending node8. (Anatomy) anatomy a. any natural bulge or swelling of a structure or part, such as those that occur along the course of a lymphatic vessel (lymph node)b. a finger joint or knuckle9. (Computer Science) computing an interconnection point on a computer network[C16: from Latin n?dus knot]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014node (no?d) n. 1. a knot, protuberance, or knob. 2. a centering point of component parts. 3. Anat. a knotlike mass of tissue: lymph node. 4. Pathol. circumscribed swelling. 5. Bot. a part of a stem that bears a leaf or branch. 6. Math. Also called joint, knot. in interpolation, one of the points at which the values of a function are assigned. 7. Geom. a point on a curve or surface at which there can be more than one tangent line or tangent plane. 8. Physics. a point, line, or region in a standing wave at which there is relatively little or no vibration. 9. either of the two points at which the orbit of a heavenly body intersects a given plane, esp. the plane of the ecliptic or of the celestial equator. 10. a labeled point in a tree diagram at which subordinate lines branch off. 11. nodus. [1565?75;