---
title: "Glossary"
description: "Strict vocabulary used across this site."
source: "Obsidian Academy"
source_url: https://obsidian-academy.pages.dev/reference/02-glossary/
saved: 2026-05-16
tags: [obsidian-academy, saved-from-web, reference]
---

Pick one term, stick with it. These are the canonical terms used everywhere on this site. If you see two terms for the same thing in your own notes, replace one of them.

| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| **Vault** | The folder containing your Obsidian notes. Yours: `C:\Vault\WhittechAI`. Synonyms to avoid: library, directory, knowledge base (the last one is a category, not this thing). |
| **Note** | A single `.md` file inside the vault. Synonyms to avoid: page, document, entry. |
| **Daily note** | A note in `10-Daily/` named `YYYY-MM-DD.md`. The Daily Driver builds it. Synonyms to avoid: journal entry, today's page. |
| **Skill** | A `SKILL.md` file in `~/.claude/skills/` describing what Claude should do when triggered. Synonyms to avoid: agent, command, tool, prompt. |
| **Trigger phrase** | The plain-English phrase that activates a skill (e.g., "good morning"). Synonyms to avoid: invocation, hotword, prompt. |
| **MCP** | Model Context Protocol — the bridge between Claude and external tools. The Obsidian MCP is what lets Claude read/write your vault. |
| **MOC** | Map of Content. A note that indexes other notes — typically one per top-level folder. Generated by the MOC Maintainer skill. |
| **Zettel** | An atomic note capturing one idea, written in your own words, densely linked. Plural: Zettels (or Zettelkasten, the collective system). |
| **Frontmatter** | YAML metadata block at the top of a note between `---` lines. Queryable by Dataview and skills. |
| **Inline metadata** | Dataview's `key:: value` syntax inside note body — queryable like frontmatter but appearing in prose. |
| **Tag** | A `#word` anywhere in a note. Categorical, not hierarchical (though nesting via `/` works). |
| **Backlink** | A reverse pointer — note B shows up in note A's backlinks panel because B links *to* A. Automatic. Bidirectional. |
| **Inbox** | The `00-Inbox/` folder. Where you dump anything that doesn't yet have a home. The `process-inbox` skill triages it. |
| **Carry-over** | Tasks from yesterday's daily note that didn't get done; surfaced in today's note by the Daily Driver. |
| **Capture** | Fast, friction-free recording of a thought, usually to inbox, usually from a non-Obsidian context (mobile, voice, browser). |
| **Triage** | Processing capture into proper homes — projects, areas, resources, people, meetings. |
| **MCP server** | A specific running instance of an MCP — like the Obsidian REST API plugin acting as a server for the Obsidian MCP client. |
| **Tier** | A level in a hierarchical layout. e.g., `30-Areas` is tier-1; `30-Areas/reviews/` is tier-2; `30-Areas/reviews/YYYY-WW.md` is a leaf. |
| **Orphan note** | A note with zero incoming links. Either intentional (recent draft) or rot (forgotten). The MOC Maintainer flags them. |
| **Atomicity** | One idea per note. Smaller is better, up to the point of comprehensibility. Atomic Zettels enable density of linking. |