slightly enlarged growth point on a stem or branch where leaves and buds arise (contrast with i11tenwdc).
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
node (noun)1.
a) a pathological swelling or enlargement (as of a rheumatic joint)
b) a discrete mass of one kind of tissue enclosed in tissue of a different kind
2.
an entangling complication (as in a drama) - predicament
3.
either of the two points where the orbit of a planet or comet intersects the ecliptic , also either of the points at which the orbit of an earth satellite crosses the plane of the equator
4.
a) a point, line, or surface of a vibrating body or system that is free or relatively free from vibratory motion
b) a point at which a wave has an amplitude of zero
5.
a) a point at which subsidiary parts originate or center
b) a point on a stem at which a leaf or leaves are inserted
c) a point at which a curve intersects itself in such a manner that the branches have different tangents
d) - vertex
node (Wikipedia)