Definitions for "Component Object Model"
The underlying model for all OLE services. It consists of a variety of APIs and object interfaces that allow container components to communicate and interact with one another.
A Microsoft-developed OLE model for binary code that enables programmers to develop objects that can be accessed by any COM-compliant application.
a specification for developing objects that has been defined by Microsoft. COM is a language-neutral binary interface specification for Windows objects and a set of run-time functions for instantiating them. With COM, it is possible to build an object using one language, and use that object in another language. Both Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) and ActiveX were developed using COM.