inverse semigroup

noun

A semigroup in which every element x has an inverse y, such that x = xyx and y = yxy.

Meanings

nouninverse semigroup (plural inverse semigroups)

plural inverse semigroups

  1. algebraA semigroup in which every element x has an inverse y, such that x = xyx and y = yxy.

    Inverse semigroups form a class of semigroups which are closest (in some sense) to groups.

    2008, Olexandr Ganyushkin, Volodymyr Mazorchuk, Classical Finite Transformation Semigroups: An Introduction, page v
    2 more examples

    Examples of regular semigroups include any band, inverse semigroup or completely regular semigroup (see sections A. 2, A. 11, and A. 10); in particular, any group is a regular semigroup.

    2002, Peter G. Trotter, “A.9: Regular Semigroups”, in Aleksandr Vasilʹevich Mikhalev, Günter Pilz, editors, The Concise Handbook of Algebra, page 35

    Inverse semigroups are central to modern semigroup theory: arguably, they form the most-studied class of semigroups.

    2014, Christopher Hollings, Mathematics across the Iron Curtain: A History of the Algebraic Theory of Semigroups, page 249

Translations

German inverse Halbgruppe
  • inverse Halbgruppesemigroup in which every element has an inverse
Polish półgrupa odwrotna
  • półgrupa odwrotnasemigroup in which every element has an inverse
Cite this entry
APA

inverse semigroup. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inverse%20semigroup

MLA

“inverse semigroup.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inverse%20semigroup. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inverse semigroup,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inverse%20semigroup.

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