Framework

noun

1. A support structure comprising joined parts or conglomerated particles and intervening open spaces of similar or larger size.
2. The arrangement of support beams that represent a building's general shape and size.
3. The larger branches of a tree that determine its shape.
4. A basic conceptual structure.

   "These ‘three principles of connexion’ compose the framework of principles in Hume's account of the association of ideas."

5. A reusable piece of code (and, sometimes, other utilities) providing a standard environment within which an application can be implemented.