orDescription

orDescription is a descriptive construct used in certain information systems to represent a disjunctive set of descriptions. It encodes a logical OR between alternative phrases or attributes so that at least one of the alternatives is applicable in a given context. The term is often found in metadata schemas, natural language generation, and accessibility descriptions where multiple phrasings may be valid.

Structure and semantics: An orDescription comprises a collection of descriptions. The interpretation depends on the system: some renderers pick a single description based on context or localization, while others expose all alternatives to the user. In description logic, it aligns with a disjunction operator that allows combining attributes without enforcing a single choice.

Example: orDescription: [ 'red apple', 'crimson apple', 'fruit with red skin' ].

Applications: Useful when describing products, images, or concepts across different audiences or locales, or when data uncertainty requires covering multiple plausible phrasings. It supports accessibility by offering alternative texts and improves search indexing by capturing multiple descriptors.

See also: description, disjunction, description logic, alternative description, metadata.