Meanings
plural algebraic data types
- type theorycomputingA data type formed by combining other types.
Generally, algebraic data types represent sums of products, where the cases form the alternatives of a sum type, and each case represents a product type that can be constructed from zero to many constitutent types. An EDT is a special case of ADT where each product type is a singleton.
2021, Martin Odersky et al., chapter 19, in Programming in Scala, 5th edition, Artima, →ISBNSynonyms: ADT
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA data type formed by combining other types.
Origin
So named because they have algebraic properties with respect to their cardinality similar to normal integers.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
algebraic data type. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/algebraic%20data%20type
“algebraic data type.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/algebraic%20data%20type. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “algebraic data type,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/algebraic%20data%20type.
Source: algebraic data type on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.