(from the article `astrolabe`) ...and was made of metalusually brass or iron. It had several principal parts: a base plate (the mater) with a network of lines representing ... Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/r/38
Re'te noun [ Latin , a net.] (Anat.) A net or network; a plexus; particularly, a network of blood vessels or nerves, or a part resembling a network. Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/R/66