An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

The Net. A small constellation in the southern hemisphere, at 4h right ascension, 62° south declination. It is centred on a group of stars with magnitudes 3.4 to 5 just north-west of the → Large Magellanic Cloud, and about halfway between → Canopus and → Achernar. Abbreviation: Ret; genitive: Reticuli.

L. reticulum "little net," named in 1752 by Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (1713-1762) to commemorate the reticle, an instrument he used to measure star positions. The constellation was first published by Isaak Habrecht of Strasbourg as the Rhombus, but was renamed by Lacaille as Reticulum Rhomboidalis.

Tur "net, fishing net, snare," related to târ "thread, warp, string," tâl "thread" (Borujerdi dialect), tân "thread, warp of a web," from tanidan, tan- "to spin, twist, weave" (Mid.Pers. tanitan; Av. tan- to stretch, extend;" cf. Skt. tan- to stretch, extend;" tanoti "stretches," tántra- "warp; essence, main point;" Gk. teinein "to stretch, pull tight;" L. tendere "to stretch;" Lith. tiñklas "net, fishing net, snare," Latv. tikls "net;" PIE base *ten- "to stretch").