The word comes from the fusion of the English terms international and net, i.e. international networkNetwork In computer language, the term network defines a set of hardware and software devices which, when linked together, enable the exchange and sharing of resources, data or information. In a computer network, the devices that generate, route and terminate data are called network nodes.. This term refers to the worldwide computer network that users all over the world can access via a computer to transmit and share data and information.