dot-com
UK: ˈdɒt kɒm | US: ˈdɑːt kɑːm
n. a company that conducts most or all of its business on the internet
adj. relating to internet-based businesses or the digital economy
dot-com = dot<period> + com<commercial>
- dot: Derived from the punctuation mark ".", representing separation in domain names.
- com: Short for "commercial," originally designating commercial entities in early internet domain naming systems (e.g., ".com" in URLs).
Etymology Origin:
The term emerged in the 1990s during the internet boom, combining the literal components of website addresses (e.g., "example.com"). The ".com" suffix became synonymous with online businesses, leading to "dot-com" as a colloquial label for internet startups. The word reflects the era's focus on digital commerce and its infrastructure.
Many dot-com companies flourished during the late 1990s.
The dot-com bubble burst in the early 2000s.
She works for a successful dot-com startup.
Traditional retailers struggled to compete with dot-com giants.
Investors poured money into dot-com ventures during the tech boom.