Applye

Applye is a term that has appeared in informal discussions about programming languages and functional programming, but it does not denote a widely standardized concept in the field. In these contexts, applye is sometimes described as the recipient of a function application—the data element to which a function is applied—or as a placeholder for the effect of applying a function to an argument. Because it is not an established standard, its exact meaning can vary between authors.

Etymology and relationship to related terms: the word appears to be a coinage built from the verb apply plus the English suffix -ee, which typically marks the recipient of an action (as in employee or addressee). In this sense, applye is often treated as the object on which a function acts, in contrast to the function itself (the operator) or the result of the application. The term is sometimes introduced to distinguish the input of a function from the function’s name or a higher-level construct like map or apply in a library.

Usage in examples and notation: in hypothetical or pedagogical syntax, an applye might be shown as a value a to which a function f is applied, written as f(a). Some toy or domain-specific languages might use an explicit applye notation to emphasize the flow of data through a function. However, because applye is not standard, readers should rely on the conventional terms input, argument, or value, and reserve applye for specific explanatory contexts where authors define it.

See also: apply, map, function application, currying, applicative functor.

References: no widely cited scholarly sources establish applye as a formal concept; it appears mainly in informal or instructional discussions.