existential type
"Existential types" are used in programming to describe types that satisfy certain conditions without specifying their exact nature.
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Definition
C1Programming
(technical)A type that represents any type satisfying a specific property or constraint, often used to hide the underlying concrete type.
Example
- In Rust, `impl Trait` is used to define an existential type that implements a specific trait.
- Mercury uses the `some` keyword to denote existential types for data abstraction.
C2Logic
(technical, academic)A variable or quantifier that asserts the existence of at least one instance with a given property or condition.
Example
- The notation `∃ x (P(x))` in logic means there exists at least one `x` such that `P(x)` is true.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "existential type":
singular existential statementexistential riskexistentialist anarchisttext typetype erasure