link¹

[lingk] /lɪŋk/

noun

one of the rings or separate pieces of which a chain is composed.

anything serving to connect one part or thing with another; a bond or tie:

The locket was a link with the past.

a unit in a communications system, as a radio relay station or a television booster station.

any of a series of sausages in a chain.

a cuff link.

a ring, loop, or the like:

a link of hair.

Computers. an object, as text or graphics, linked through hypertext to a document, another object, etc.

Surveying, Civil Engineering.

(in a surveyor's chain) a unit of length equal to 7.92 inches (20.12 centimeters).
one of 100 rods or loops of equal length forming a surveyor's or engineer's chain.

Chemistry, bond¹ (def 15).

10.

Machinery. a rigid, movable piece or rod, connected with other parts by means of pivots or the like, for the purpose of transmitting motion.

verb (used with object), verb (used without object)

11.

to join by or as if by a link or links; connect; unite (often followed by up):

The new bridge will link the island to the mainland. The company will soon link up with a hotel chain.

Origin

1375-1425; late Middle English link(e) < Old Danish lænkia chain; cognate with Old Norse hlekkr link (plural, chain), Old English hlence coat of chain mail, akin to German Gelenk joint

Related forms

linker, noun

Synonyms

2. connection, connective, copula. 10. bond, league, conjoin, fasten, bind, tie, pin.

link²

[lingk] /lɪŋk/

noun

a torch, especially of tow and pitch.

Origin

1520-30; perhaps special use of link¹; the torches so called may have been made of strands twisted together in chainlike form

Examples from the web for link

When a fire ant colony floods, the ants link up to form a literal life raft, such as the one pictured.
Tachyons can then provide the link between past and future and possible time travel.
To see a larger zone map, click the link under image.
Followers usually must click through a shortened link and wait for a new page to load.
Please, there are many other ways that might explain this link.
On level ground, link adjoining basins as pictured above to simplify watering.
They also agreed to provide a link in the policy for users who wanted to block that storage.
Skepticism about a fossil cast as a missing link in human ancestry.
On level ground, link basins to make watering easier.
Some online news sites have begun charging others to link to their articles.

British Dictionary definitions for link

link¹

/lɪŋk/

noun

any of the separate rings, loops, or pieces that connect or make up a chain

something that resembles such a ring, loop, or piece

a road, rail, air, or sea connection, as between two main routes

a connecting part or episode

a connecting piece in a mechanism, often having pivoted ends

Also called radio link. a system of transmitters and receivers that connect two locations by means of radio and television signals

a unit of length equal to one hundredth of a chain. 1 link of a Gunter's chain is equal to 7.92 inches, and of an engineer's chain to 1 foot

(computing) short for hyperlink

weak link, an unreliable person or thing within an organization or system

verb

10.

(often foll by up) to connect or be connected with or as if with links

11.

(transitive) to connect by association, etc

Derived Forms

linkable, adjective

Word Origin

C14: from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse hlekkr link

link²

/lɪŋk/

noun

(formerly) a torch used to light dark streets

Word Origin

C16: perhaps from Latin lychnus, from Greek lukhnos lamp

Word Origin and History for link

early 15c., "one of a series of rings or loops which form a chain; section of a cord," probably from Old Norse *hlenkr or a similar Scandinavian source (cf. Old Norse hlekkr "link," Old Swedish lænker "chain, link," Norwegian lenke, Danish lænke), from Proto-Germanic *khlink- (cf. German lenken "to bend, turn, lead," gelenk "articulation, joint, link," Old English hlencan (plural) "armor"), from PIE root *kleng- "to bend, turn." Missing link between man and apes dates to 1880.

"torch," 1520s, of uncertain origin, possibly from Medieval Latin linchinus, from lichinus "wick," from Greek lykhnos "portable light, lamp."

"bind, fasten, to couple," late 14c., believed to be from link (n.), though it is attested earlier. Related: Linked; linking.

link in Science

link

(lĭngk)
A segment of text or a graphical item that serves as a cross-reference between parts of a webpage or other hypertext documents or between webpages or other hypertext documents.

link in Technology

1. hard link or symbolic link.
2. hypertext link.
(1997-10-22)