Internet — From English to English | etymologist.ai
internet
/ˈɪn.tə.nɛt/·noun·1974·Established
Origin
Coined 1974 as 'inter-network' — Latin 'inter' (between) + OldEnglish 'nett' (mesh), literally 'between the nets.'
Definition
A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.
The Full Story
English1974well-attested
A shortening of 'internetwork' or 'inter-network' — a network of networks, a system that connects separate computer networks into a unified whole. 'Inter-' from Latin 'inter' (between, among), from PIE *h₁enter (between, among), which also producedSanskrit 'antár' (within, between), Greek 'énteron' (intestine — what is between/inside), and OldEnglish 'in' and 'inner.' 'Net' from Old English 'nett' (a mesh, a snare, a woven fabric with openings), from Proto-Germanic *natją, from PIE
'internet' (lowercase) initially meant any interconnected network; the capitalized 'Internet' referred specifically to the global network built on TCP/IP. This distinction collapsed as the global network became
a system of nodes linked by connections. Key roots: *h₁enter (Proto-Indo-European: "between"), *ned- (Proto-Indo-European: "to knot, to bind, to tie").