Add "author" and "party" to terminology, rewrite "claim" terminology

terms.html

@@ -5,12 +5,20 @@
 <dl class="termlist">
   <dt><dfn data-lt="claims">claim</dfn></dt>
   <dd>
-An assertion made about a <a>subject</a>.
+A digital representation of an assertion made, by a specific <a>entity</a>, 
+about anything that information can be expressed about, including
+not only documents, people, organizations, physical objects, or abstract concepts,
+but also <a>issuers</a>, <a>holders</a>, and <a>verifiers</a>.
+The meaning of a claim (its semantics) is determined by its author.
+Claims can be expressed by <a>issuers</a>, with which to construct a <a>verifiable credential</a>,
+or by <a>holders</a>, to include in a <a>verifiable presentation</a>.
+Different <a>issuers</a> and <a>verifiers</a> can reuse the same semantics for claims through the use of shared vocabularies and/or ontologies.
   </dd>
   <dt><dfn data-lt="credential|credentials">credential</dfn></dt>
   <dd>
-A set of one or more <a>claims</a> made by an <a>issuer</a>. 
-The <a>claims</a> in a credential can be about different <a>subjects</a>.
+A set of one or more <a>claims</a> created by a single <a>issuer</a>,
+that is constructed for the purpose of transferring it to some other <a>entity</a>. 
+The <a>claims</a> in a <a>verifiable credential</a> can have different <a>subjects</a>.
   </dd>
   <dt><dfn>data minimization</dfn></dt>
   <dd>
@@ -62,17 +70,17 @@
   <dt><dfn data-lt="holders|holder's|holders'">holder</dfn></dt>
   <dd>
 A role an <a>entity</a> might perform by possessing one or more
-<a>verifiable credentials</a> and generating <a>presentations</a> from them.
-A holder is usually, but not always, a <a>subject</a> of the <a>verifiable
-credentials</a> they are holding. Holders store their <a>credentials</a> in
-<a>credential repositories</a>.
+<a>verifiable credentials</a> and creating <a>verifiable presentations</a> from them.
+A holder can be the <a>subject</a> of zero or more  <a>claims</a> within
+the <a>verifiable credentials</a> they are holding.
+Holders store their <a>credentials</a> in <a>credential repositories</a>.
   </dd>
   <dt><dfn class="lint-ignore"
            data-lt="identities|identity's">identity</dfn></dt>
   <dd>
-The means for keeping track of <a>entities</a> across contexts. Digital
-identities enable tracking and customization of <a>entity</a> interactions
-across digital contexts, typically using identifiers and attributes. Unintended
+The means for keeping track of <a>entities</a> and other people or things that information can be expressed about.
+Digital identifiers enable tracking and customization of <a>entity</a> interactions
+across digital contexts, typically in conjunction with attributes. Unintended
 distribution or use of identity information can compromise privacy. Collection
 and use of such information should follow the principle of
 <a>data minimization</a>.
@@ -91,12 +99,12 @@
 specifications. This specification decouples the <a>identity provider</a>
 concept into two distinct concepts: the <a>issuer</a> and the <a>holder</a>.
   </dd>
-  <dt><dfn data-lt="issuers|issuer's">issuer</dfn></dt>
+  <dt><dfn data-lt="issuers|issuer's|issuer(s)|issuing|issued">issuer</dfn></dt>
   <dd>
-A role an <a>entity</a> can perform by asserting <a>claims</a> about one or
-more <a>subjects</a>, creating a <a>verifiable credential</a> from these
-<a>claims</a>, and transmitting the <a>verifiable credential</a> to a
-<a>holder</a>.
+A role an <a>entity</a> can perform as it constructs a <a>verifiable credential</a> 
+from a set of <a>claims</a> it asserts as true, including metadata and proofs,
+typically for the purpose of transferring the <a>verifiable credential</a> to 
+a <a>holder</a>.
   </dd>
   <dt><dfn data-lt="presentation|presentations">presentation</dfn></dt>
   <dd>
@@ -114,9 +122,14 @@
 The ability of a <a>holder</a> to make fine-grained decisions about what
 information to share.
   </dd>
-  <dt><dfn data-lt="subjects|subject's">subject</dfn></dt>
-  <dd>
-A thing about which <a>claims</a> are made.
+  <dt><dfn data-lt="subjects|subject's|subject(s)">subject</dfn></dt>
+The person or thing about which a <a>claim</a> is made. 
+This can not only be documents, people, organizations, physical objects, abstract concepts, etc.,
+but also <a>issuers</a>, <a>holders</a>, and <a>verifiers</a>.
+Note that the common practice of speaking about "*the* <a>subject</a> of a <a>verifiable credential</a>"
+may be incorrect, as <a>verifiable credentials</a> can contain multiple <a>claims</a> that have different subjects,
+in which case *the* <a>subject</a> of that <a>verifiable credential</a>
+is not determinable.
   </dd>
   <dt><dfn class="lint-ignore">user agent</dfn></dt>
   <dd>
@@ -168,9 +181,12 @@
   </dd>
   <dt><dfn data-lt="verifier|verifiers|verifier's|credential verifiers|credential verifier's">verifier</dfn></dt>
   <dd>
-A role an <a>entity</a> performs by receiving one or more
-<a>verifiable credentials</a>, optionally inside a
-<a>verifiable presentation</a> for processing. Other specifications might refer
+A role an <a>entity</a> performs by requesting for, and receiving one or more
+<a>verifiable presentations</a> (from a <a>holder</a>), that contain
+<a>verifiable credentials</a> (or content derived from them) that are authored by <a>entities</a> that it trusts,
+so that they can reliably be processed for the purpose(s) they have been requested.
+The <a>verifiable credentials</a> may be received within a
+<a>verifiable presentation</a>. Other specifications might refer
 to this concept as a <dfn data-lt="relying parties">relying party</dfn>.
   </dd>
   <dt><dfn data-lt="URL|URLs">URL</dfn></dt>