Definition of "predicate calculus" [predicate calculus]

• The branch of symbolic logic that deals not only with relations between propositions as a whole but also with their internal structure, especially the relation between subject and predicate. Symbols are used to represent the subject and predicate of the proposition, and the existential or universal quantifier is used to denote whether the proposition is universal or particular in its application. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.