disjunto

Disjunto is the Portuguese adjective used to describe things that are separated, distinct, or non-overlapping. In everyday language it can refer to objects or concepts that do not touch or interfere with one another. In mathematics and related fields, disjointness is a precise technical term.

In mathematical usage, two sets are disjoint if their intersection is empty. The standard phrase is conjuntos disjuntos for disjoint sets. When a collection of sets has the property that every pair is disjoint, the collection is described as pairwise disjoint or mutuamente disjuntos. A disjoint union is an operation that combines disjoint sets into a single set while keeping their origins distinguishable, often used to count elements or define structured sums.

Etymology traces disjunto to Latin disjunctus, from disjungere meaning to separate. The prefix dis- signals separation, while jungere means to join, reflecting the idea of dividing or keeping parts apart rather than uniting them.

Examples help illustrate the concept. Consider A = {1, 2, 3} and B = {4, 5}. A and B are disjoint because they share no elements. By contrast, C = {3, 4} and D = {4, 5} are not disjoint since they share the element 4. In geometry or interval arithmetic, disjoint intervals, such as [0, 1) and [1, 2), do not overlap.

Disjunto is used across domains to denote non-overlapping or non-intersecting components, with terminology such as conjuntos disjuntos, mutuamente disjuntos, and disjoint union common in mathematics and related disciplines. See also: disjoint sets, mutually exclusive, partition.