Boolean or Boolean logic

(pronounced: boo-lee-an)

A system of math that uses computational operators, such as AND, OR, NOT, and IF ... THEN to sort data. This system is named after George Boole, an English mathematician who introduced the logic in 1847.

Online the term "boolean" is often spelled in all lowercase and primarily refers to search engine queries to retrieve information. For example, on the Web you will come across the chance to use Boolean logic when using a search engine. These operators, when used in conjunction with keywords, enable the search engine to retrieve highly specific results. For example, a search for "recipe AND chocolate AND chip AND cookies NOT walnuts" will produce recipes for chocolate chip cookies that do not contain walnuts.

Like many online terms, this word has also morphed into a verb, for example "The research firm told us their cookie data can be bought and further boolean'd into women AND people who searched for new cars."