or nexus
ˈnek-səs
Did you know?
If you’re unfamiliar with the word nexus, the popular, long-running video game series The Legend of Zelda may provide an object lesson in its several definitions (and if you’re unfamiliar with the games, we will explain). When nexus came into English in the 17th century, it meant “connection” or “link.” Eventually, people began using it to refer to a connected group or series of things, as in “a nexus of relationships.” In recent decades it has taken on a third meaning: “center” or “hub,” perhaps from the notion that a point in the center of an arrangement serves to join together the objects that surround it. Now, one might plausibly say that the 20 Zelda games (not counting remakes and spin-offs) themselves form a nexus, as each represents an installment in a long, twisty saga with numerous echoes and callbacks to other games in the series. Most of these feature the fictional land of Hyrule, which often presents magical nexuses to shadowy alternate dimensions (1991’s A Link to the Past), the past (2011’s Skyward Sword), or the underworld (2023’s Tears of the Kingdom) that the hero, Link (ahem) must traverse. As for nexus’s third meaning, Hyrule’s map is nearly always situated around a central nexus, or hub, in the form of the castle where the titular Zelda lives. (If you’re into gaming or curious about its lingo, don’t miss the article “Popular Gaming Terms Explained”).
Examples of nexus in a Sentence
ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025
This complex nexus has been oversimplified here into the universalized concept of vanity.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
CISOs are now the essential nexus among all these groups, with a mandate to implement strong security while articulating a clear-eyed assessment of the landscape as well as a strategy to be effective within it, to stakeholders across the board.
—Jonathan Fischbein, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
That nexus between music and dance has always been an intriguing feature of flamenco: since its inception as a performing art form, audiences have been fascinated to observe a group of musicians and dancers communicate with precision without anyone uttering a single word.
—Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nexus
Cite this Entry
“Nexus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nexus. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
nexus
noun
or nexus
-səs, -ˌsüs
Legal Definition
nexus
noun
Latin, bond, tie, from nectere to bind
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