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I'm basically asking exactly this question but for boolean operations.

"Operand" works well for "NOT" because there's only one operand, but I'm especially interested in operand names for "AND" and "OR" etc. operators to try to avoid calling things, "operand1" and "operand2."

Eleanor Holley
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  • I have never heard of addition and multiplication having different names for their two operands (other than "first and second term", or "left and right factor", and variations thereupon). I see no reason AND and OR should be different. Which is to say, I sincerely doubt there is any conventional terminology like the one you're seeking. – Arthur Oct 31 '19 at 15:51
  • @Arthur Well, in grade school the talked about the multiplier and the multiplicand, but I could never remember which was which. – saulspatz Oct 31 '19 at 15:57
  • "First/second conjunct/disjunct." – Noah Schweber Oct 31 '19 at 16:01
  • Speaking from personal experience, it is extremely enjoyable to use words like "orand" and "andand" for these (and extending "-and" for all operands) - though no one will have any idea what you mean if you use such neologisms, so please don't take this comment as a suggestion that these are actual words. – Milo Brandt Oct 31 '19 at 19:53

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If you want to distinguish between the two operands in statements such as

$$a \vee b$$

$$a \wedge b$$

the convention typically used is to call $a$ the "first operand" and $b$ the "second operand." If the operator is conjunction, then one could say $a$ is the "first conjunct" and $b$ is the "second conjunct." If the operator is disjunction, then one could say $a$ is the "first disjunct" and $b$ is the "second disjunct." All of these are equivalent in meaning. Note that due to commutativity $a$ or $b$ could easily be listed as the first or second operand, so the choice of which is arbitrary.

RyRy the Fly Guy
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