hub

noun12

1. •
   The central part, usually cylindrical, of a wheel; the nave.

   • If you need to reload film, the cassette can be rewound slightly by turning the hub located on one end of its spool. — 2011
2. •
   A point where many routes meet and traffic is distributed, dispensed, or diverted.

   • Hong Kong International Airport is one of the most important air traffic hubs in Asia.
3. •
   A central facility providing a range of related services, such as a medical hub or an educational hub.
4. •
   An area in a video game from which individual levels are accessed.

   • In a break with tradition, these levels are tackled in any order, with the next act chosen from a semi-random selection machine located in the game's hub area. — 2014
5. •
   A computer networking device connecting several Ethernet ports. See switch.
6. •
   (US) A rough protuberance or projecting obstruction.
7. •
   A stake with a nail in it, used to mark a temporary point.
8. •
   A hardened, engraved steel punch for impressing a device upon a die, used in coining, etc.
9. •
   A block for scotching a wheel.
10. •
    A screw hob.
11. •
    A goal or mark at which quoits, etc., are thrown.
12. •
    A male weasel; a buck; a dog; a jack.