# DSS Corporate Terminology Glossary

> **Quick Reference**: Enterprise terminology for the Design System Swarm

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## Atomic Design Hierarchy (5 Levels)

| Level | Term | Description | Examples |
|-------|------|-------------|----------|
| 1 | **Tokens** | Design variables - raw values | `--color-primary`, `--spacing-md`, `--font-size-base` |
| 2 | **Primitives** | Base UI elements - indivisible | Button, Input, Icon, Badge, Label |
| 3 | **Components** | Composite UI - combining primitives | FormField (label+input+error), Card (image+title+actions) |
| 4 | **Layouts** | Page structure patterns | PageShell, DashboardGrid, SidebarLayout |
| 5 | **Views** | Complete screens with content | TokenExplorer, FigmaSync, ComponentAudit |

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## Architecture Layers (7 Layers)

| Layer | Name | Code Modules | Responsibility |
|-------|------|--------------|----------------|
| 1 | **Core** | `storage/`, `settings.py` | Configuration, schemas, database, event bus |
| 2 | **Ingestion** | `ingest/` | File parsing, token extraction (CSS, Figma, JSON, Tailwind) |
| 3 | **Validation** | `validators/` | Schema checking, linting, error detection |
| 4 | **State** | `models/` | Token models, stores, data flow |
| 5 | **Processing** | `tools/`, `analyze/` | Transformations, analysis, style-dictionary |
| 6 | **Presentation** | `storybook/`, `admin-ui/` | UI components, documentation, Storybook |
| 7 | **Integration** | `api/`, MCP server | APIs, MCP tools, webhooks, CLI |

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## Term Translations

### From Legacy Biological to Corporate

| Deprecated Term | Corporate Term | Context |
|-----------------|----------------|---------|
| organism | module | Complex UI section |
| molecule | component | Composite UI element |
| atom | primitive / token | Base element or variable |
| heart | core / database | Persistent storage layer |
| brain | analyzer / validation | Pattern detection and quality |
| nervous system | integration layer | APIs, MCP, webhooks |
| digestive system | ingestion pipeline | Token extraction from sources |
| circulatory system | token distribution / state | Data flow through system |
| metabolic system | transformation engine / processing | Format conversion |
| endocrine system | theme controller | Theming and adaptation |
| immune system | validation guard | Quality assurance |
| sensory organs | asset manager | Icons, images, visual assets |
| skin | presentation layer | UI, Storybook, docs |
| skeleton | schema framework | Naming conventions, structure |

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## Quick Phrases

### Instead of... Say...

| Don't Say | Say Instead |
|-----------|-------------|
| "Feed the organism" | "Ingest tokens" |
| "Check the immune system" | "Run validation" |
| "The heart is healthy" | "Database is operational" |
| "Nervous system response" | "API response" |
| "The brain detected a pattern" | "Analyzer detected a pattern" |
| "Organism health check" | "System status check" |

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## See Also

- [First Principles](./principles/FIRST_PRINCIPLES.md) - 7 foundational truths
- [Architecture Overview](./architecture/OVERVIEW.md) - 7-layer system design
- [Atomic Hierarchy](./principles/ATOMIC_HIERARCHY.md) - Composition rules
