newbie terminology question...

is there a difference between a "port" and a "socket"?

The combination of an IP address and a port number is called a socket. A socket uniquely identifies a single network process within the entire Internet. Sometimes the terms "socket" and "port number" are used interchangeably. In fact, well-known services are frequently referred to as "well-known sockets." In the context of this discussion, a "socket" is the combination of an IP address and a port number. A pair of sockets, one socket for the receiving host and one for the sending host, define the connection for connection-oriented protocols such as TCP.
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Here is a socket FAQ page for you to review
Port Definitions Page

The terminology is confusing. At one time the idea was a socket needed 4 pieces of data:
local address, local port <----> remote address, remote port

This was better than "connection" because all 4 data were needed for connectionless transfers (UDP).

A lot of people call address/port a socket these days just as google did. If they don't, a void is left. There is no pedantic term for for just an address/port.

Rich Stevens always used "socket" to refer to all 4 items. That's how he uses the term in his network books.