I've always stuck to the definition of a closed lambda term (the Y, U, S,
K, etc... combinators, for example). The colloquial usage generally implies
something like "a higher order function that does something interesting
(and possibly DSL-y)."
Kris
On Sat, Aug 24, 2013 at 12:09 AM, damodar kulkarni
Hello, The word "combinator" is used several times in the Haskell community. e.g. parser combinator, combinator library etc.
Is it exactly the same term that is used in the "combinatory logic" ? A combinator is a higher-order function that uses *only function application* and earlier defined combinators to define a result from its arguments. [1]
It seems, the term combinator as in, say, "parser combinator", doesn't have much to do with the "*only function application*" requirement of the "combinatory logic", per se.
If the above observation holds, is the term combinator as used in the Haskell community, properly defined?
In other words:
Where can I find a formal and precise definition of the term "combinator", as a term used by the Haskell community to describe "something"?
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combinatory_logic
Thanks and regards, -Damodar Kulkarni
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