Nexus
Etymology
From Latin nexus, “a binding together, a joining,” from nectere, “to bind, tie.” The word names exactly what it describes: the knot where separate threads are tied into one.
noun · /NEK-sus/
A central point where multiple things connect or converge.
What it names
The join itself — not one node but the place where many links meet, where connection is the point rather than any single part.
Example
The port city was a nexus of trade, language, and rumor, where everything eventually passed through.
Related idea
A nexus is where things connect; a crux is the decisive point where a matter must be resolved.