hub

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the central part of a wheel through which the axle passes

   The mechanic removed the wheel to inspect its hub.

2. 2
   noun

   a central place through which people, goods, information, or activity are connected or distributed

   The port became a major hub for trade across the region.

3. 3
   noun

   a device that connects several computers or other pieces of equipment

   Each workstation was connected to the network hub.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Hub, recorded from the early 16th century, seems to have been an English dialect term that first meant “hob,” a surface behind or beside a fireplace used for heating pans and originally made of piled-up clay. Its sense “the central part of a wheel” dates from the mid-17th century.

Originally a dialect word of uncertain origin, perhaps related to hob in the sense of a rounded projection. Its wheel-center sense is recorded from the seventeenth century; the modern sense 'center of activity or connections' is a metaphorical extension.

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• Cambridge Dictionary
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