Disgiunto

Disgiunto is an Italian adjective meaning separated, distinct, or mutually exclusive. In everyday language it describes things that are not connected or do not overlap. The term is especially common in mathematics, logic and related fields, where it denotes mutual exclusivity between objects or events.

In set theory, two sets A and B are disgiunti if their intersection is empty: A ∩ B = ∅. In probability and statistics, two events A and B are disgiunti (mutually exclusive) if they cannot occur at the same time, so P(A ∪ B) = P(A) + P(B) (since P(A ∩ B) = 0). The concept extends to partitions of a universe into disjoint blocks.

Etymology: disgiunto comes from Latin disiunctus, from dis- 'apart' and iunctus 'joined'. In Italian, the noun form is disgiunzione, used for the act of separating or for the concept of disjointness in logic or mathematics, and the related adjective congiunto means 'joined' or 'connected' as its contrast. See also insiemi disgiunti (disjoint sets) and disgiunzione (disjunction) in logical and mathematical contexts.