Okay, call me stoopid (I’ve had a few beers here).
What exactly is, “Tethering?”
Using your phone with data plan to provide a mobile internet connection to your computer (typically a laptop or netbook). This is typically done either with a Bluetooth connection or with an actual tether, a cable from your phone to your computer, usually USB.
Tethering is when you link 2 devices together using a USB connector so the 2nd device displays whatever data the 1st device is streaming. A very useful functionality since most smartphones automatically have the capability enabled out of the box. :)
>>>What exactly is, “Tethering?”
basically, you turn your cell phone into a modem - used to be you had to do that with a cable, hence “tethering” - but now, the phones can be a a wifi hotspot - and use the cellular network for sharing the phone’s data connection.