Etymology

internet

in·ter·net
I1N1T1E1R1N1E1T1

Today it means: Internet access or connection; internet connectivity. Full definition →

English internetwork ← Middle English werk ← Old English weorc
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internet · proper noun, noun, verb1

The noun is a variant of Internet. The verb is derived from the noun.

internet · verb2

From inter- (prefix meaning ‘amid, among; between’) + net (“to form a netting or network”).

Internet · proper noun3

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁n̥tér
  3. Proto-Italic*n̥ter
  4. Latininter
  5. Latininter-
  6. Englishinter-
  7. Proto-Germanic*natją
  8. Proto-West Germanic*nati
  9. Old Englishnett
  10. Middle Englishnet
  11. Englishnet
  12. Proto-Indo-European*werǵ-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*wérǵom
  14. Proto-Germanic*werką
  15. Proto-West Germanic*werk
  16. Old Englishweorc
  17. Middle Englishwerk
  18. Englishwork
  19. Englishnetwork
  20. Englishinternetwork
  21. English todayInternet

Coined by the U.S. Defense Department in 1986. Shortening of internetwork.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.