net2

 
Pronunciation: /nɛt/
(British also nett)

adjective

  • 1(of an amount, value, or price) remaining after the deduction of tax or other contributions: net earnings per share rose the camera will cost you, net of VAT, about £300Often contrasted with gross (sense 4 of the adjective).
  • (of a weight) excluding that of the packaging.
  • (of a score in golf) adjusted to take account of a player’s handicap.
  • 2remaining after all factors have been taken into account; overall: the net result is the same

verb (nets, netting, netted)

[with object]
  • acquire (a sum of money) as clear profit: he netted £2.45 million on the deal
  • [with two objects] return (profit or income) for (someone): the land netted its owner a turnover of $800,000
  • (net something down/off/out) exclude a non-net amount, such as tax, when making a calculation, in order to reduce the amount left to a net sum: the scrap value should be netted off against the original purchase price

Origin:

Middle English (in the senses 'clean' and 'smart'): from French net 'neat'; see neat1. The sense 'free from deductions' is first recorded in late Middle English