[syn: topology, network topology]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Topology \To*pol"o*gy\, n. [Gr. ? place + -logy.]
The art of, or method for, assisting the memory by
associating the thing or subject to be remembered with some
place. [R.]
[1913 Webster]
2. a branch of mathematics which studies the properties of
geometrical forms which retain their identity under
certain transformations, such as stretching or twisting,
which are homeomorphic. See also topologist.
[PJC]
3. configuration, especially in three dimensions; -- used, e.
g. of the configurations taken by macromolecules, such as
superhelical DNA.
[PJC]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
topology
n 1: topographic study of a given place (especially the history
of the place as indicated by its topography); "Greenland's
topology has been shaped by the glaciers of the ice age"
2: the study of anatomy based on regions or divisions of the
body and emphasizing the relations between various structures
(muscles and nerves and arteries etc.) in that region [syn:
regional anatomy, topographic anatomy, topology]
3: the branch of pure mathematics that deals only with the
properties of a figure X that hold for every figure into
which X can be transformed with a one-to-one correspondence
that is continuous in both directions [syn: topology,
analysis situs]
4: the configuration of a communication network [syn:
topology, network topology]
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
topology
1. The branch of mathematics dealing with
continuous transformations.
2. Which hosts are directly connected to which
other hosts in a network. Network layer processes need to
consider the current network topology to be able to route
packets to their final destination reliably and efficiently.
(2001-03-29)