disjunction

/dɪsˈdʒʌŋ(k)ʃən/

Other forms: disjunctions

A disjunction is a broken connection. If you expect to be a doctor but you haven't taken any science courses since high school biology, you would have a disjunction between your expectations and your training.

The -junct- in disjunction is the same Latin root that gives us yoke, the harness that joins two oxen together. So if you have a disjunction, things are not joined together — there's a disconnect. If you order a pizza and the waiter brings you caviar, that's a disjunction. In logic, a disjunction is made by joining two sentences with "or" — "I'm tired, or I'm hungry" — while a conjunction joins two sentences with "and" — "I'm tired, and I'm hungry."

Definitions of disjunction

1. noun

   state of being disconnected
   synonyms: disconnectedness, disconnection, disjuncture

   types:

   separability

   the capability of being separated

   incoherence, incoherency

   lack of cohesion or clarity or organization

   disjointedness

   lacking order or coherence

   type of:

   separation

   the state of lacking unity
2. noun

   the act of breaking a connection
   synonyms: disconnection

   type of:

   separation

   the act of dividing or disconnecting