Langton's ant

noun

A simulated ant, part of a cellular automaton with simple rules but complicated emergent behaviour. The ant traverses a square lattice of cells, changing their colours and its direction as it passes over them.

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Meanings

nounLangton's ant (plural Langton's ants)

plural Langton's ants

  1. A simulated ant, part of a cellular automaton with simple rules but complicated emergent behaviour. The ant traverses a square lattice of cells, changing their colours and its direction as it passes over them.

Origin

Invented by Chris Langton in 1986.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Langton's ant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Langton's%20ant

MLA

“Langton's ant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Langton's%20ant. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Langton's ant,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Langton's%20ant.

Source: Langton's ant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.