Re: "remote-tracking branch"?

Marc Branchaud [off-list ref] writes:

When I first read this I was confused by the term "remote-tracking branch".
I see that the docs for "git remote" and "git branch" use this term for
branches like 'origin/master', as does the glossary.
...
I feel my interpretation is reinforced by the --track/--no-track options in
"git branch".

They were added long after "remote tracking branch" terminology has
been established to mean the copies of last observed values of refs
at remotes, and back then nobody noticed that these misnamed options
were potential sources of this kind of confusion.  If anything,
these options need to be renamed if you want to avoid confusion.

Unfortunately, no concensus terminology for them exist; I find
myself calling them "the branch you integrate with upstream's
master", "the branch you forked from origin's topic", etc.