Reticulated

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a structure that includes a mesh-like configuration formed by interconnected elements or pathways
2. Exhibiting a design characterized by a network of lines and curves interwoven in a specific arrangement
3. Characterized by a pattern resembling a network of interconnected parts that form a web-like appearance

Etymology: "Reticulated" is "reticulate" with the suffix "-ed" added, so its story is really the story of its base. "Reticulate" comes from Latin "reticulatus," meaning "net-like," formed from "reticulum," a little net, itself a diminutive of "rete," a net. The Latin root was a physical image of a woven net, with its crisscrossing threads and open spaces, and the English word kept that picture intact. The suffix "-ed" turns the base into an adjective describing something that has been given, or naturally has, that net-like pattern. So a "reticulated" surface is one marked by a grid or mesh of lines, whether on a giraffe's coat, a cathedral vault, or a circuit board. Scientists and engineers later applied the same idea to anything built from connected parts, which is why the word now shows up so often in technical writing.

Synonyms: netted, networked

Antonyms: smooth, unstructured