Microsoft’s implementation of the entire CLI stack. Includes the CLR, CIL, and various languages, all of which are CLS-compliant.

The portion of the CLI specification that defines the collection, threading, console, and other base classes necessary to build virtually all programs.

A programming language. Separate from the CLI standard is a C# Language Specification, also ratified by the ECMA and ISO standards bodies.

The language of the CLI specification that defines the instructions for the code executable on implementations of the CLI. It is sometimes also referred to as IL or Microsoft IL (MSIL) to distinguish it from other intermediate languages. (To indicate that it is a standard broader than Microsoft, CIL is preferred over MSIL and even IL.)

The specification that defines the intermediate language, base classes, and behavioral characteristics that enable implementers to create Virtual Execution Systems and compilers in which source languages are interoperable on top of a common execution environment.

Microsoft’s implementation of the runtime, as defined in the CLI specification.

The portion of the CLI specification that defines the core subset of features that source languages must support to be executable on runtimes implemented according to the CLI specification.

A standard generally implemented by CLI-compliant languages that defines the representation and behavior of types that the language exposes visibly outside a module. It includes concepts for how types can be combined to form new types.

The class library that makes up Microsoft’s .NET Framework. It includes Microsoft’s implementation of the BCL as well as a large library of classes for such things as web development, distributed communication, database access, and rich client user interface development, among others.

An agent that manages the execution of a program that is compiled for the CLI.