Editing Combinatory logic (section)

{{Short description|Logical formalism using combinators instead of variables}}
{{distinguish|text=[[combinational logic]], a topic in digital electronics}}

'''Combinatory logic''' is a notation to eliminate the need for [[Quantifier (logic)|quantified]] variables in [[mathematical logic]]. It was introduced by [[Moses Schönfinkel]]{{sfn|Schönfinkel|1924|loc=The article that founded combinatory logic. English translation: {{harvtxt|Schönfinkel|1967}}}} and [[Haskell Curry]],{{sfn|Curry|1930}} and has more recently been used in [[computer science]] as a theoretical [[model of computation]] and also as a basis for the design of [[functional programming languages]]. It is based on '''combinators''', which were introduced by [[Moses Schönfinkel|Schönfinkel]] in 1920 with the idea of providing an analogous way to build up functions—and to remove any mention of variables—particularly in [[predicate logic]].  A combinator is a [[higher-order function]] that uses only [[function application]] and earlier defined combinators to define a result from its arguments.