What does router mean?
A router is most commonly a piece of networking equipment that directs information between computer networks and between a local network and the internet. It allows multiple devices to communicate through one internet connection, commonly by receiving data, examining its destination, and forwarding it along the appropriate route. The word can also refer to a woodworking tool for cutting grooves or channels, as well as, more rarely, a person or thing responsible for directing others. In everyday use, the network meaning dominates, especially in phrases such as “wireless router” and “router configuration.” Although “route” describes a path or course, a “router” is the agent or device that sends traffic along such a path. The term is useful because it captures both the practical importance of network communication and the broader idea of controlled movement from one place or system to another.
A device that forwards data between computer networks or between a local network and the internet.
"Restarting the router restored the connection."
This is the dominant modern sense and is common in both British and American English.
A woodworking tool used to cut grooves or channels in wood.
"He used the router to make a recess for the shelf pin."
This specialized sense is mainly used in woodworking and carpentry.
A person or thing that directs, organizes, or sends something along a particular path.
"The dispatcher acted as a router for the emergency calls."
This sense is relatively uncommon and often figurative.
The plural is “routers.”
"The office has several routers installed on different floors."
A router is the traffic controller of the modern household, quietly deciding which digital messages take which path.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does router come from?
The word “router” is formed from “route” with the agent suffix “-er,” meaning a person or device that performs routing. “Route” comes through Old French from Latin rupta, originally associated with a broken or opened road, and developed into the modern sense of a way or course taken. The suffix was applied to the noun when referring to a device that directs network traffic, while the woodworking sense names the tool that guides a cutting path.
Related word forms
How router is actually used
In modern usage, “router” most often means a computer-network device. In woodworking, it is a specialist tool, usually understood in that context. The meaning “a person who routes” is comparatively uncommon and can sound figurative or dated.
Easily confused with router
A router is a device or tool that directs data or cuts a groove, whereas a route is the path or course taken.