Url

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A reference or pointer used to locate a resource on the internet, typically consisting of a string of characters that indicates the location of a web page or file ; a means to link or access digital content via the internet ; a system for identifying and retrieving information from the worldwide web
2. A string of characters that directs a browser to a specific internet location or web page ; a method for referencing a particular online resource ; an identifier that enables the connection to digital data hosted on web servers
3. An address used to specify the location of a webpage or online document ; a code that guides internet users to particular content ; a format designed to find and access resources on the internet through web browsers

Etymology: The word is an abbreviation of "Uniform Resource Locator," a name devised in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, the British computer scientist who invented the World Wide Web, and his colleagues working at CERN. Their aim was a standard way to point to any resource on the network, and the three words describe its function: "uniform" for a single consistent scheme, "resource" for anything that can be fetched, and "locator" for the address that says where it is. The abbreviation came first in spoken use, and the spelled-out letters were pronounced one by one, "U-R-L," though some people say "earl." The term's ancestors lie in the older idea of the Universal Resource Identifier, a broader category that the designers drew on, and the familiar form beginning "http" was one of several schemes they defined. The noun has since been used for the bar at the top of a browser and for the string of characters itself, which is how most people meet it today.