diff --git a/docs/glossary-convention.md b/docs/glossary-convention.md
index 9163ef8..6ae78f6 100644
--- a/docs/glossary-convention.md
+++ b/docs/glossary-convention.md
@@ -15,6 +15,13 @@ When the slot is set, the file it names is standing reading for every
 role — no separate `standing_reading.always` entry is required. When
 the slot is unset, the whole feature is a documented no-op.
 
+A set glossary is the source of truth for the project's nomenclature.
+Where any other document names a concept differently — including the
+example renamings in `profile-schema.md` § `vocabulary` — the
+glossary's canonical entry, and its **Avoid** list, win. A
+`vocabulary.*` slot only sets which term the glossary then pins as
+canonical; it does not override the glossary.
+
 ## Format
 
 The glossary is a flat list of per-term blocks (not a table), so an
diff --git a/docs/profile-schema.md b/docs/profile-schema.md
index 9ddf3fd..26797c3 100644
--- a/docs/profile-schema.md
+++ b/docs/profile-schema.md
@@ -137,6 +137,13 @@ Skills use these names in their generated artefacts and prose.
 Picking accurate vocabulary keeps prose readable; the underlying
 mechanics are identical regardless of name.
 
+The renamings shown as examples above illustrate the slot only; they
+are not nomenclature for any particular project. When a project sets
+`paths.glossary`, that glossary is the source of truth for its
+nomenclature and overrides these examples where they collide — a word
+offered here may sit under **Avoid** in a given project's glossary
+(see `glossary-convention.md`).
+
 ## `standing_reading`
 
 | Key            | Type   | Default        | Description |