.com
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Commercial (top-level domain) |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Technology & Computing, Science & Engineering |
| Also written | COM |
.com has three meanings. The most common are Commercial (top-level domain) (Internet & web) and Center of mass (physics); it can also stand for Component Object Model.
Meanings of .com at a glance
| # | .com stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commercial (top-level domain) | Technology & Computing › Internet & Web |
| 2 | Center of mass | Science & Engineering › Physics |
| 3 | Component Object Model | Technology & Computing › Programming |
1. Commercial (top-level domain)
Technology & Computing · Internet & Web Abbreviations
The most popular top-level domain, originally intended for commercial organizations but open to anyone worldwide. Verisign operates its registry, which holds more registrations than any other TLD.
Example: Their first choice of .com was taken, so they added "get" to the front of the name.
Created in January 1985 with the first TLDs; the first .com name registered was symbolics.com on March 15, 1985. "Dot-com" became shorthand for internet companies, giving the late-1990s dot-com bubble its name. Short, memorable .com names can sell for millions of dollars.
2. Center of mass (COM)
Science & Engineering · Physics Abbreviations
Point where the total mass of an object or system can be considered concentrated for describing its overall motion. An object supported at its center of mass balances, and in the absence of external forces the COM of a system moves at constant velocity.
Example: The high jumper's COM can pass beneath the bar during a Fosbury flop.
In a uniform gravitational field the center of mass coincides with the center of gravity. Engineers lower a vehicle's COM to improve stability. Also abbreviated CM or CoM in different textbooks.
3. Component Object Model (COM)
Technology & Computing · Programming Abbreviations
Microsoft's binary interface standard, introduced in 1993, that lets software components written in different languages interact on Windows. DirectX, Office automation and many Windows system services expose COM interfaces.
Example: The Excel automation script talks to Office through COM, so it only works on Windows.
COM grew out of OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) and gave rise to ActiveX and the networked DCOM. Every interface derives from IUnknown and is identified by a GUID. .NET largely superseded it for new development, but interoperability with COM remains common. The ".com" of web addresses is unrelated.
Related abbreviations
More Internet & web abbreviations
- .edu – Education (top-level domain)
- .gov – Government (top-level domain)
- .net – Network (top-level domain)
- .org – Organization (top-level domain)
- a11y – Accessibility
- AJAX – Asynchronous JavaScript and XML
- AMP – Accelerated Mobile Pages
- ARIA – Accessible Rich Internet Applications
See all 76 Internet & web abbreviations →