IP Address
Etymology
IP stands for Internet Protocol, the foundational rulebook for addressing and routing data across networks, standardized in the early 1980s. The "address" is a number assigned to each connected device, much like a street address for mail. Because these addresses can reveal your rough location and be logged, they sit at the center of privacy and tracking debates.
noun phrase · /EYE-PEE uh-DRESS/
The numerical label identifying a device on the internet so data knows where to go.
What it names
The internet's postal system — the reason a request can leave your phone and find one specific machine among billions.
Example
The website greeted her in French because her IP address placed her in Lyon.
Related idea
An IP address is the machine-readable number, while a domain name is the human-friendly label that points to it — the address book that turns "example.com" into the number computers actually use.