framework (
http://definr.com/framework)
n 1: a simplified description of a complex entity or process;
"the computer program was based on a model of the
circulatory and respiratory systems" [syn:
model, {theoretical
account}]
2: the underlying structure; "restoring the framework of the
bombed building"; "it is part of the fabric of society"
[syn:
fabric]
3: a structure supporting or containing something [syn:
frame,
framing]