What is Frame Work?

What is meant by Frame Work? and What is an integrated Frame Work?  Is it same as famous Microsoft .Net Frame Work?   How do design patterns apply to frame work?

Framework is a a real or conceptual structure intended to serve as a support or guide for the building of something that expands the structure into something useful. For example, .NET framework is a framework used to develop, deploy and to run applications by using provided services, libraries and modules. Design pattrens represent solutions to problems that arise when developing software within a particular context. Patterns can be characterized as more abstract descriptions of frameworks, which are implemented in a particular language.