hub
noun/hʌb/ · IE /hʊb/
Etymology From earlier hubbe, which has the same immediate origin as hob. Hub was originally a dialectal word; its ultimate origin is unknown. Compare German Hubbel (“bump on a surface”), from Proto-West Germanic *hubil (“bump, hill”) (which contains a diminutive suffix *-il); compare English hive, or perhaps ultimately from the same root as hip or hop.
12 senses
- 1The central part, usually cylindrical, of a wheel; the nave.
- 2A point where many routes meet and traffic is…
- 3A central facility providing a range of related…
- 4A computer networking device connecting several Ethernet…
- 5A stake with a nail in it, used to mark a temporary point.
- 6A male weasel; a buck; a dog; a jack.
- 7A rough protuberance or projecting obstruction.
- 8An area in a video game from which individual levels are…
- 9A goal or mark at which quoits, etc., are thrown.
- 10A hardened, engraved steel punch for impressing a device…
- 11A screw hob.
- 12A block for scotching a wheel.
The central part, usually cylindrical, of a wheel; the nave.
- If you need to reload film, the cassette can be rewound slightly by turning the hub located on one end of its spool.2011, Rebekah Modrak, Bill Anthes, Reframing Photography: Theory and Practice:
A point where many routes meet and traffic is distributed, dispensed, or diverted.
- Hong Kong International Airport is one of the most important air traffic hubs in Asia.
- From the ground, Colombo's port does not look like much.[…] But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka's capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India's southern tip.2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
1 more example
- Doncaster is a rail hub in every sense. Passenger lines radiate in six directions, there are freight lines that bypass the station, extensive freight yards, a major works, and a rolling stock depot.2021 May 19, Philip Haigh, “Doncaster enhancements relying on DfT approval”, in RAIL, number 931, page 30:
A central facility providing a range of related services, such as a medical hub or an educational hub.
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Networking, Physical sciences, Sciences A computer networking device connecting several Ethernet ports. See switch.
A male weasel; a buck; a dog; a jack.
US A rough protuberance or projecting obstruction.
- a hub in the road
Video games An area in a video game from which individual levels are accessed.
- In a break with tradition, these levels are tackled in any order, with the next act chosen from a semi-random selection machine located in the game's hub area.2014, Julian Hazeldine, Speedrun: The Unauthorised History of Sonic The Hedgehog, page 47:
A goal or mark at which quoits, etc., are thrown.
A hardened, engraved steel punch for impressing a device upon a die, used in coining, etc.
A screw hob.
A block for scotching a wheel.
- Synonyms
- hub world