1

I am looking for a word to denote an element in a binary relation, which in itself would connote the duality of the relationship. For example, a binary relation is the one between the east and the west half of a sphere so we call each a hemisphere:

From Latin hemisphaerium, from Ancient Greek ἡμισφαίριον (hēmisphaírion), from ἡμι- (hēmi-, “half”) + σφαῖρα (sphaîra, “sphere”); hemi- +‎ sphere

So I am looking for a more abstract/general word (that could be applied to something other than a sphere) that would indicate that the entity in question is one of the two sides in a binary relation and would like that word to unambiguously mean that (and remove the possibility of having more than two sides) and that it's not necessarily half because that implies a 50/50 split, which shouldn't be implied by that word.

Another example could be the word wife meaning (in a traditional sense) one of the two spouses in a marital binary relation: "the wife is a [X] of the marriage"

| improve this question | |
  • The best I could do is choice and option, neither of which implies a binary set of options. – Roger Sinasohn May 18 '17 at 21:47
  • I'm sorry, that won't cut it – amphibient May 18 '17 at 21:48
  • Yeah, I wanted to exclude those answers explicitly for you. As a side note, wife is not always an example of your desired word. 8^) – Roger Sinasohn May 18 '17 at 22:04
  • The two sides of a binary relation (or any relation) are sets. One side is sometimes called the domain (of the relation); the other is sometimes called the range (of the relation). – Drew May 18 '17 at 23:09
  • 1
    If you want the math, formal choice, it would be exactly as you have presented it, an element. A relation is an ordered pair on a set, so one side of a the pair is a member of the set, which is called an element. But if you want to fill the slot, "the wife is a member of a marriage" is more natural. – Mitch May 18 '17 at 23:15
3

Specifically in a relationship where there are only two things, both items are each other's complement:

complement

1c: one of two mutually completing parts

In the case of 2 things, it's unambiguous, but the idea can apply to more than 2 items in mathematics. For example, if there are 10 possible items but only 3 exist right now, the complement of those things is 7 items, which is how many would be required to make the whole (ten items).

| improve this answer | |
  • looks promising... – amphibient May 18 '17 at 22:08
1

If you want the mathematical, formal choice, it would be exactly as you have presented it, an element. A relation is an ordered pair on a set, so one side of a the pair is a member of the set, which is called an element.

The wife is one element of a pair that forms a marriage

But if you want to fill the slot in normal everyday language there are many possibilities but I find member sounds the most natural and generic

The wife is a member of a marriage.

Other possibilities are 'partner', 'one side', 'spouse' (specific to marriage). I think the best answer will almost always depend on the context.

| improve this answer | |
  • None of those actually connote duality – amphibient May 19 '17 at 13:48
  • @amphibient Can you give another sentence with a slot where that connotation would be appropriate? – Mitch May 19 '17 at 15:19

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.