'''First Attempt at a Definition''' * In program design, it is the starting point into the solution space, the initial conditions that exist. * In a Java program it is "the starting point into the namespace". <http://java.sun.com/products/jndi/tutorial/basics/prepare/initial.html> To start at the beginning of the trail that leads to this definition, try: http://java.sun.com/products/jndi/tutorial/basics/index.html