diff --git a/source/faq/developers.txt b/source/faq/developers.txt
index 44522cc188e..202ec13917e 100644
--- a/source/faq/developers.txt
+++ b/source/faq/developers.txt
@@ -32,6 +32,18 @@ occur in collection names, so that the ``acme.user.history`` is a
 valid namespace, with the ``acme`` database name, and the
 ``user.history`` collection name.
 
+How do namespaces affect database internals?
+--------------------------------------------
+
+Namespaces do not affect database internals. Within a database,
+collection namespaces have no hierarchy.
+
+Namespaces are an organizational method intended only for the database
+user. Namespaces allow users to group related collections. For example,
+the collections ``blog.posts`` and ``blog.authors`` are grouped together
+as blogs. This is purely for the user's benefit and has no affect on
+database organization.
+
 How do you copy all objects from one collection to another?
 -----------------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/source/reference/glossary.txt b/source/reference/glossary.txt
index d80544e15e1..5c30b52c30e 100644
--- a/source/reference/glossary.txt
+++ b/source/reference/glossary.txt
@@ -56,9 +56,15 @@ Glossary
       databases.
 
    collection
-      A namespace within a database for containing :term:`documents <document>`.
-      Collections do not enforce a schema, but they are otherwise
-      mostly analogous to :term:`RDBMS` tables.
+      Collections are groupings of :term:`BSON` :term:`documents
+      <document>`. Collections do not enforce a schema, but they are
+      otherwise mostly analogous to :term:`RDBMS` tables.
+
+      The documents within a collection may or may not have the same
+      structure. Any new document can add new fields to a collection.
+      Collection names can have a dot, and you may use this to simulate
+      a hierarchical namespace; however, the collection namespace for
+      each database is itself flat.
 
    $cmd
       A virtual :term:`collection` that exposes :term:`MongoDB`'s