Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

packet

 - 4 dictionary results

pack⋅et

  [pak-it]
Use packet in a Sentence
–noun
1. a small group or package of anything: a packet of letters.
2. Also called packet boat, packet ship. a small vessel that carries mail, passengers, and goods regularly on a fixed route, esp. on rivers or along coasts.
3. Cards. a part of a pack of cards after being cut.
4. Informal. a large amount of money.
5. British Slang.
a. a painful blow or beating.
b. misfortune or failure.
–verb (used with object)
6. to bind up in a package or parcel.
Origin:
1520–30; < MF pacquet, equiv. to pacqu(er) to pack 1 + -et -et

Synonyms:
1. See package.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To packet
pack·et   (pāk'ĭt)   
n.  

  1. A small package or bundle.

  2. Informal A sizable sum of money.

  3. A boat, usually a coastal or river steamer, that plies a regular route and carries passengers, freight, and mail.

  4. A short block of data transmitted in a packet switching network.


[Middle English pekette, probably diminutive of pak, pack; see pack1.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

packet 
1530, from M.E. pak "bundle" (see pack (n.)) + dim. suffix -et; perhaps modified on Anglo-Fr. pacquet (M.Fr. pacquet), which is ult. a dim. of M.Du. pak. A packet boat (1641) was originally one that carried mails.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Computing Dictionary

packet
The unit of data sent across a network. "Packet" is a generic term used to describe a unit of data at any layer of the OSI protocol stack, but it is most correctly used to describe application layer data units ("application protocol data unit", APDU).
See also datagram, frame.
(1994-11-30)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source
Search another word or see packet on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way