Plain-language reference—not a universal legal definition, laboratory interpretation, medical conclusion, or product endorsement. Regulators, laboratories, standards bodies, clinicians, and manufacturers may define or apply a term differently; use the linked primary record for the decision in front of you.
THE USEFUL PART
Keep these in your head.
- A front-label term is a prompt to inspect the ingredients, units, lot, complete certificate, responsible regulator, and product instructions.
- Words such as indica, full-spectrum, live resin, solventless, natural, premium, and THC-free are not self-proving quality or effect guarantees.
- Laboratory abbreviations only make sense with the analyte, method, unit, reporting limit, basis, and exact sample identity attached.
- This searchable reference works without an account and leaves its 48 definitions visible when JavaScript is unavailable.
Search 48 terms by the word in front of you
48 terms shown
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- Batch / lot
An identifier for a defined production group or sample chain.
Match every character across package, certificate, recall notice, and receipt; a brand-level report is not enough.- Broad-spectrum
Retail language usually suggesting multiple hemp compounds with THC reduced or removed.
Not a uniform federal composition standard and not proof of zero THC; inspect ingredients, analytes, and reporting limits.- Cannabinoid
A class of compounds associated with cannabis, including THC, CBD, CBG, and their acidic forms.
The class name does not predict an individual effect, medical value, legality, or measured amount.- CBD
Cannabidiol, a cannabinoid that does not by itself produce the classic THC high.
CBD can have side effects and drug interactions; retail CBD is not automatically FDA-approved, THC-free, or appropriate for a person or pet.- CBDA
Cannabidiolic acid, an acidic precursor associated with CBD-rich plant material.
Keep CBDA and CBD rows separate unless a stated total formula and conversion factor are supplied.- CBG
Cannabigerol, a minor cannabinoid reported in some flower, hemp, extracts, and finished products.
A CBG label or cultivar name does not prove concentration, effect, or therapeutic benefit.- CBGA
Cannabigerolic acid, an acidic cannabinoid precursor that may appear on laboratory panels.
Do not silently treat CBGA as CBG; heat, method, formula, and units matter.- Certificate of Analysis (CoA)
A laboratory report for an identified sample, with results, methods, units, qualifiers, and status.
A CoA is evidence—not regulator approval, medical endorsement, or proof that the report matches the package.- Child-resistant
Packaging designed and tested to a defined resistance standard under stated conditions.
It does not mean childproof, pet-proof, easy for every adult to reclose, or effective after damage or transfer.- Concentrate
A product with cannabis constituents concentrated from plant material, such as resin, rosin, wax, shatter, or distillate.
Names do not establish extraction method, ingredients, potency, purity, or inhalation safety.- Cultivar / strain
A named plant variety or market identity used to describe lineage or product shorthand.
Names are not standardized test results and cannot guarantee ancestry, cannabinoid profile, aroma, effect, or medical outcome.- Delta-9 THC
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the principal intoxicating cannabinoid commonly reported on labels and certificates.
The unit, basis, route, serving, product total, and applicable legal definition all matter.- Detection limit / LOD
A method-specific threshold for detecting that an analyte may be present.
LOD is not automatically the same as a reliable quantity, legal limit, safety limit, or proof of absence.- Distillate
A refined cannabis extract produced through distillation and often used in vapes, edibles, or infused products.
The word alone does not disclose source material, added ingredients, contaminants, or finished-product testing.- Dry-weight basis
A concentration expressed relative to material after accounting for moisture under a stated procedure.
Do not compare it casually with as-received, wet-weight, per-serving, or per-package values.- Edible
A cannabis product intended to be eaten or swallowed.
Onset is generally delayed compared with inhalation; package size is not necessarily one serving.- Extract
Material separated from cannabis or hemp using a mechanical, chemical, thermal, or other process.
The category does not reveal the process, residual-solvent scope, formulation, or safety of the finished product.- Flower
Harvested cannabis inflorescence sold as whole buds or ground material.
A flower percentage, appearance, or strain name cannot establish freshness, contaminants, effect, or combustion safety.- Full-spectrum
Retail language usually suggesting a wider range of hemp compounds is retained.
It is not a uniform federal composition standard and does not guarantee a useful amount, lawful status, or a safe drug-test outcome.- Hemp
A legal classification of Cannabis sativa tied to an applicable THC threshold and jurisdiction.
The word hemp does not mean non-intoxicating in every product, federally approved, risk-free, or legal everywhere.- Hybrid
Retail shorthand suggesting mixed ancestry or characteristics.
It is not a standardized chemical profile or effect prediction.- Infused pre-roll
A pre-roll with added cannabis concentrate, extract, kief, or another declared cannabis ingredient.
Added material changes potency and combustion behavior; verify every ingredient, total quantity, lot, and certificate.- Isolate
A highly purified single compound used as an ingredient, often CBD.
A formulation containing isolate can still include other ingredients or contamination; verify measured evidence for zero-THC claims.- Kief
Detached trichome-rich material collected from cannabis flower.
Potency and contaminants must be measured; visual frostiness is not a laboratory result.- Live resin
An extract category generally associated with fresh or frozen plant material and solvent-based processing.
The term does not standardize every process, ingredient, terpene source, residual-solvent result, or effect.- Live rosin
A mechanically separated concentrate generally made from fresh-frozen material that is processed into hash and pressed.
Solventless does not mean contaminant-free, inhalation-safe, or equivalent across makers and lots.- LOQ / limit of quantitation
The lowest level a stated method can quantify with defined performance.
Below LOQ does not mean chemically absent; compare the value and unit with the claim and applicable specification.- Medical cannabis
Cannabis supplied within a jurisdiction's medical program under its current rules.
Medical-program status is not a cure claim, federal prescription status, interstate permission, or transfer right.- Microbial panel
Testing for specified bacteria, fungi, yeasts, molds, or related markers under a stated method.
A pass applies to the named sample, organisms, limits, and jurisdiction—not every microbe or future storage condition.- Minor cannabinoid
A relative market term for cannabinoids other than the most prominent THC or CBD components.
Minor does not mean unimportant, harmless, well studied, or present at a meaningful amount.- Mycotoxin
A toxic substance produced by certain molds and included in some contaminant-testing programs.
A result only has meaning with the named analyte, unit, method, limit, and sample.- ND / not detected
A laboratory qualifier indicating the analyte was not detected under the stated method and threshold.
ND does not prove absolute zero; find the LOD or reporting limit before evaluating a zero-content claim.- Pesticide panel
Testing for a defined list of pesticide analytes under stated methods and limits.
A pass does not cover chemicals outside the panel or prove a product was grown without pesticides.- Potency
The measured or labeled concentration or amount of specified cannabinoids.
Potency is not quality, safety, effect, purity, or a personal dose recommendation.- PPM / parts per million
A concentration unit meaning parts of an analyte per million parts of material under the stated basis.
Confirm whether the lab equates the value to mg/kg and whether the sample basis matches the comparison.- PPB / parts per billion
A concentration unit meaning parts of an analyte per billion parts of material under the stated basis.
Do not compare PPB directly with PPM without converting units and keeping the same basis.- Pre-roll
Ground or prepared cannabis placed in paper or another declared wrapper for smoking.
One cone is not automatically one serving, and the label must distinguish plain flower from infused ingredients.- Residual solvent
A solvent remaining after extraction or manufacturing and measured against a specified limit.
A solventless process claim and a residual-solvent panel answer different questions; neither replaces full contaminant testing.- Rosin
A concentrate produced mainly through heat and pressure without an extraction solvent in the pressing step.
The category does not prove purity, potency, clean starting material, safe temperature, or a medical effect.- Serving
A labeled quantity used to express cannabinoid content or directions under the applicable product rules.
Serving is not the same as package, unit, cone, or a personal recommendation.- Solventless
Process language indicating that a named extraction step did not use chemical solvents.
It does not mean chemical-free, contaminant-free, safer to inhale, or tested for every hazard.- Terpene
An aromatic compound found in cannabis and many other plants; some products also contain added terpenes.
A terpene list or aroma does not guarantee an effect, medical outcome, source, concentration, or inhalation safety.- THC
A shorthand often used for intoxicating tetrahydrocannabinol, but labels may distinguish delta-9 THC, THCA, and other forms.
Find the exact analyte and unit instead of treating every THC-related number as interchangeable.- THCA
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, an acidic precursor that can convert toward THC with heat and time.
Do not add or convert values unless the applicable formula, factor, basis, and jurisdiction are stated.- Total THC
A calculated or reported value combining specified THC-related analytes under a stated formula.
Formulas and legal uses can differ; read the report's actual equation and governing rule.- Trichome
A glandular plant structure associated with cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds.
Visible trichomes do not quantify potency, contaminants, maturity, or product quality.- Universal symbol
A jurisdiction-specific mark signaling regulated cannabis or THC content under that market's rules.
A copied symbol is not a license lookup, lot match, certificate, or proof of legality outside that jurisdiction.- Water activity
A measurement related to water available for microbial growth, distinct from total moisture content.
It is one stability and microbial-risk input, not a home humidity target or proof that mold is absent.
Use four checks after the definition
- Identify the source.
Was the term printed by a regulator, laboratory, manufacturer, retailer, breeder, clinician, journalist, or social account?
- Attach the object.
Connect it to the exact package, sample, batch, method, product form, state rule, or health question.
- Find the unit or rule.
Percent, mg/g, mg per unit, mg per serving, mg per package, ppm, ppb, wet basis, dry basis, and legal thresholds are not interchangeable.
- Follow the caveat.
Open the certificate, regulator record, label guide, medical source, or product instructions needed to verify the claim.
Keep common units attached to their basis
| Expression | Usually communicates | Check before comparing |
|---|---|---|
| % | Parts per hundred by mass or another stated basis | As-received versus dry weight; analyte; total formula; rounding |
| mg/g | Milligrams of analyte per gram of product | Product form; basis; whether a calculated total or direct result |
| mg/unit | Amount in one piece, capsule, pre-roll, or other defined unit | Whether the unit is also a labeled serving |
| mg/serving | Amount in the labeled serving | Servings per package and whether the consumer can divide the unit accurately |
| mg/package | Total amount in the complete package | Do not mistake it for one serving |
| ppm / ppb | Low-level concentration units often used for contaminants | Unit conversion, sample basis, specification, and reporting limit |
The certificate guide gives a full report-reading workflow, and the label guide keeps serving, package, lot, date, and ingredients together.
Primary references and glossary scope
Sources reviewed September 25, 2026. The glossary favors plain language and verification over universal definitions. Send a correction with the exact term, page, and primary source through the contact page.
Big Bud Man standard: know the source, read the batch, protect kids and pets, and never drive impaired.