A link is something that connects two things, like a ring in a chain or a connection between ideas. On the internet, a link is a piece of text or an image that you can click to go to another page or file.
It likely comes from Old Norse “hlenkr,” meaning a chain ring or joint. English kept the idea of separate pieces joined together and later applied it to abstract and digital connections.
The blue, underlined text you click online is literally named after metal rings in old chains. The digital “links” that move you around the web are just the latest version of a very old idea: small connections that create big networks.
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