Basic Android Terminologies and slang

Android is can very complex mobile operating system if you want to do advanced features and hacking, therefore it is important to understand some of the basic Android terminology.

• AOSP: Android Open Source Project. An clean unmodified version of Android released by Android, often the basis for other custom rom.
• APK: Android application package file
• Bootloader: A program that is designed to load other data and programs.
• Brick: When a device can not recovery from a bad rooting/flashing process
• Cache: A temporary data stored so that future requests of such data can be accessed faster
• Custom ROM: modified ROM based on AOSP ROM or ROM released by OEM manufactures.
• Custom recovery: a recovery that gives the user the ability to make changes to ROM and other system wide control.
• Dalvik: Android's virtual machine.
• Dalvik Cache: Write cache that contains the optimized bytecode of all APK files.
• Flashing: installing new rom via custom recovery
• Kernel: the core of operating system, it controlss all the other parts of the OS and makes everything work together.
• Nandroid backup: backup made with a custom recovery of the ROM and other user data.
• Recovery: the partition that of the storage that contain boot-mode for the Android device.
• ROM: A version or modification of Android's operating system.
• Root: the ability to access system files and other things that can not be normally done.
• Root folder: the first level folder
• Rooting: the act of grant root ability to an Android device

Source: 

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1466228

http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/glossary.html

Chenguang Meng