The term "maven" comes from the Yiddish word "meyvn," which means "one who understands." The word has its roots in Hebrew and has been adopted into English to refer to someone who is an expert in a particular field.

In modern usage, maven is commonly used to describe individuals who have deep knowledge, expertise, and passion in a specific area and who are recognized as authorities or influencers in that domain. Maven is synonymous with expert, guru, or aficionado in many contexts.

The term "netmavens" is derived from the concept of "maven," which refers to a person who is knowledgeable about a particular subject and who seeks to share that knowledge with others. In the context of the internet, a "netmaven" is someone who is highly informed about the building and operation of Internet networks, data centers and doing business online.