I found this site while searching for info.  It would be a good thing to have a printout of for anyone wanting to bake:  here is the website: http://www.baking911.com/bread/101_terms.htm

As I've stated in my various posts - I'm really new to this and can't tell a poolish from a starter from a biga from dough, but I am persistant and I'm learning.  At my age only a little sticks at a time.

Here is what it lists about starters:

Starter A mixture of flour and water, as in a sourdough, or also incorporating a culture of wild yeast and lactobacilli, called a sponge, used as leavening in the final dough. The term generally refers to either batter-like or dough-like consistency mixes which are retained from one activation or bake to the next. Some starters also contain potatoes, milk, yogurt, fruit, and many other things. I personally haven't tried to use those.

 New Starter: Any starter started from any dry source (commercial or homemade), or the air, that has not yet qualified as "fresh starter." This is not the same as "old" or "dead" starter, because these two conditions do not generally follow the same sequence of recovery stages.

 Fresh Starter: Starter which has been recently demonstrated to be vibrant and active. Starter in this category can raise plain white (french or white bread) dough to a "more than doubled" volume in less than 2 1/2 hours after a single proofing (feeding) period, i.e. remove the starter from the refrigerator and proof once, then try using it. Starter which has been refrigerated for less than 5 days or so that was "fresh" before refrigerating is also fresh starter.

 Old or Dead Starter: Starter which has been previously demonstrated to be "fresh" but which is no longer fresh since it cannot be demonstrated that it can raise dough after a single proof as described above. Risings which take longer than 2 1/2 hours indicate a starter that is either "new" or "old" depending on the prior life history of the starter. Note that in very nearly all cases of "old" or "dead" starters, that they can be revived back into "fresh" starters using the techniques described below. I have heard tell of starters which haven't been fed for six months being successfully revived using the given technique.

 Non-Standard Starter: Starter which contains ingredients other than white flour and plain water. Some starters do use blends or alternative flours, and that's ok. Some starters use other ingredients such as a spoon of sugar (ok, but not suggested). Some starters also use alternative liquids such as potato water or milk. These would all be labeled 'Non-Standard Starters' in this document.

 Polluted Starter: Starter which contains ingredients added by you or by nature, which are not normal to your starter. Examples include baking powder, salt, oils, eggs, or any other baking ingredients. Also, molds and other dark-colored microorganisms not normal to the natural symbiotic relationship that your starter normally maintains. These other microorganisms usually affect appearance, smell, and (especially) flavor. Normal ingredients are flour(s), water, potato water or potatoes, and possibly milk or milk products. Ingredients other than plain white flour and plain water change the habitat you are maintaining for your sourdough microorganisms and may or may not be wanted according to the characteristics you want your starter to exhibit.