Change:
Split into two pairs of commits (each first changing content and then line lengths) for easy partial acceptance, should that be desired: Improve grammar and diction Be consistent about ordering domain name labels from the root The second pair attempts to provide a consistent treatment of "domain name" as an abstract sequence of labels in directed graph order starting at the root, while maintaining clarity about wire, presentation, and common display formats rendering domain names in reverse.

Discussion:
agree on a good set of facets that can be used to compare naming systems.  For example, other facets might include "protocol to update data in a name", "privacy of names", and "privacy of data <del> associated with names", but those do not not have a clear definitions as the ones listed above.  The list here is chosen because it helps describe the DNS and naming systems similar to the DNS. </del> <ins> associated with names", but those are not as well-defined as the ones listed above.  The list here is chosen because it helps describe the DNS and naming systems similar to the DNS. </ins> An ordered list of one or more labels.

and their nodes in graph theory, and the definition in RFC1034 has the same practical result as the definition here.  Using graph theory, a domain name is a list of labels identifying a portion <del> along one edge of an acyclic directed graph.  A domain name can be </del> <ins> along one edge of a directed acyclic graph.  A domain name can be </ins> relative to other parts of the tree, or it can be fully qualified <del> (in which case, it ends at the common root of the graph). </del> <ins> (in which case, it begins at the common root of the graph). </ins> Also note that different IETF and non-IETF documents have used the term "domain name" in many different ways.  It is common for

Composition of names -- A name in the global DNS has one or more labels.  The length of each label is between 0 and 63 octets <del> inclusive.  In a fully-qualified domain name, the first label (logically speaking) is 0 octets long; it is the only label whose </del> <ins> inclusive.  In a fully-qualified domain name, the first label in the ordered list is 0 octets long; it is the only label whose </ins> length may be 0 octets, and it is called the "root" or "root label".  A domain name in the global DNS has a maximum total length of 255 octets in the wire format; the root represents one

common display. The basic wire format for names in the global DNS is a list of <del> labels with the root label last.  Each label is preceded by a length octet.  RFC1035 also defines a compression scheme that modifies this format. </del> <ins> labels ordered by decreasing distance from the root, with the root label last.  Each label is preceded by a length octet.  RFC1035 also defines a compression scheme that modifies this format. </ins> The presentation format for names in the global DNS is a list of <del> labels, encoded as ASCII, with the root label last, and a "." character between each label.  In presentation format, a fully- qualified domain name includes the root label and the associated separator dot.  In presentation format, a fully-qualified domain name with two additional labels is always shown as "example.tld." instead of "example.tld".  RFC1035 defines a method for showing octets that do not display in ASCII. </del> <ins> labels ordered by decreasing distance from the root, encoded as ASCII, with a "." character between each label.  In presentation format, a fully-qualified domain name includes the root label and the associated separator dot (for example, in presentation format, a fully-qualified domain name with two non-root labels is always shown as "example.tld." instead of "example.tld").  RFC1035 defines a method for showing octets that do not display in ASCII. </ins> The common display format is used in applications and free text. It is the same as the presentation format, but showing the root <del> label and the "." before it is optional and is rarely done.  In common display format, a fully-qualified domain name with two additional labels is usually shown as "example.tld" instead of "example.tld.".  Names in the common display format are normally written such that the first label in the ordered list is in the last position from the point of view of the directionality of the writing system (so, in both English and C the first label is the right-most label; but in Arabic it may be the left-most label, depending on local conventions). </del> <ins> label and the "." before it is optional and is rarely done (for example, in common display format, a fully-qualified domain name with two non-root labels is usually shown as "example.tld" instead of "example.tld.").  Names in the common display format are normally written such that the directionality of the writing system presents labels by decreasing distance from the root (so, in both English and C the first label in the ordered list is right-most; but in Arabic it may be left-most, depending on local conventions). </ins> Administration of names -- Administration is specified by delegation (see the definition of to "delegation" in zones).

This is often just a clear way of saying the same thing as "domain name of a node", as outlined above.  However, the term is ambiguous.  Strictly speaking, a fully qualified domain name would <del> include every label, including the final, zero-length label of the root: such a name would be written "www.example.net." (note the </del> <ins> include every label, including the zero-length label of the root: such a name would be written "www.example.net." (note the </ins> terminating dot).  But because every name eventually shares the common root, names are often written relative to the root (such as "www.example.net") and are still called "fully qualified".  This

The need for the term "fully qualified domain name" comes from the existence of partially qualified domain names, which are names <del> where some of the right-most names are left off and are understood </del> <ins> where one or more of the earliest labels in the ordered list are omitted (for example, "www").  Such relative names are understood </ins> only by context. This term and its equivalent, "hostname", have been widely used

This is "like a slave server except not listed in an NS RR for the zone."  (Quoted from RFC1996, Section 2.1) <del> A stealth server that is a master for zone transfers.  "In this arrangement, the master name server that processes the updates is unavailable to general hosts on the Internet; it is not listed in the NS RRset."  (Quoted from RFC6781, Section 3.4.3.)  An earlier RFC, RFC4641, said that the hidden master's name appears in the SOA RRs MNAME field, although in some setups, the name does not appear at all in the public DNS.  A hidden master can be either a secondary or a primary master. </del> <ins> A stealth server that is a primary server for zone transfers.  "In this arrangement, the master name server that processes the updates is unavailable to general hosts on the Internet; it is not listed in the NS RRset."  (Quoted from RFC6781, Section 3.4.3). An earlier RFC, RFC4641, said that the hidden master's name "appears in the SOA RRs MNAME field", although in some setups, the name does not appear at all in the public DNS.  A hidden master can also be a secondary server itself. </ins> The process of one server sending a DNS query with the RD bit set to 1 to another server to resolve that query.  Forwarding is a