Zorn's lemma

[ zawrnz ]

noun

, Mathematics.

1. a theorem of set theory that if every totally ordered subset of a nonempty partially ordered set has an upper bound, then there is an element in the set such that the set contains no element greater than the specified given element.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Zorn's lemma¹

First recorded in 1945–50; named after Max August Zorn (1906–93), German mathematician