Routers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device that forwards data packets between computer networks
2. A piece of hardware that connects multiple devices to the internet or allows communication between networks
3. A machine that manages traffic on a network by directing data to its destination

Etymology: "Routers" is the plural of "router," which is a noun for a network device that directs data packets toward their destinations. The plural form takes no special treatment: it is simply the noun "router" with an added "s," so the history of the plural is the history of the singular. The noun comes from "route" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning a thing that does the action named by the base word. In this case, the device performs routing, which is the act of choosing a path. The meaning of "route" itself goes back to a path or road, so the network sense is a figurative extension of the older physical idea of travelling along a course. A separate noun "router," from "rout" with the same "-er" suffix, is a tool in carpentry, a power tool that hollows out grooves in wood. That carpentry sense comes from a different root, "rout," meaning to gouge or hollow out, and is unrelated to the network term despite the identical spelling.

Synonyms: network devices, gateways