Boolean search

information science (Or "Boolean query") A query using the

Boolean operators, AND, OR, and NOT, and parentheses

to construct a complex condition from simpler criteria. A

typical example is searching for combinatons of keywords on a

World-Wide Web search engine.

Examples:

car or automobile

"New York" and not "New York state"

The term is sometimes stretched to include searches using

other operators, e.g. "near".

Not to be confused with binary search.

See also: weighted search.

(1999-10-23)