Domain name is the human-readable address of a website, like google.com or amazon.com, that gets translated into an IP address by the Domain Name System (DNS). It's basically a pointer to the server where the website lives, kind of like how "123 Main St." points to a physical building.

How to use it in a sentence

• "I just bought a new domain name for my startup - it's called WeUsedToBeAUnicorn.io."

• "Our domain name got hijacked by some script kiddie who redirected it to a Rick Astley video, so that was a fun way to spend my weekend."

If you actually want to learn more...

• Martin Fowler has a great article on Domain-Specific Languages that explains how you can create mini programming languages tailored to a specific problem domain. Perfect for when regular code isn't obscure enough for you.

• He also has a whole section on Domain-Driven Design, which is about modeling your software around the business domain. It's like taking the idea of "business logic" to the extreme.

• If you want to go down the rabbit hole of domain name scams, check out this cautionary tale from Paul Graham about the "Domain Support Group". Apparently some people will do anything for a .biz address.

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