A Framework

1. (literally) A support structure comprising joined parts or conglomerated particles and intervening open spaces of similar or larger size.
2. (literally) The arrangement of support beams that represent a building's general shapeand size.
3. (figurative) The larger branches of a tree that determine its shape.
4. (figurative) A basic conceptual structure.
5. (software engineering) A reusable piece of code (and, sometimes, other utilities) providing a standard environment within which an application can be implemented.Hyponyms: architectural framework, entity framework, software framework
6. (literally) The identification and categorisation of processes or steps that constitute a complex task or mindset in order to render explicit the tacit and implicit.