Definition:Literal

Definition

A literal is either:

• an atom $p$ of propositional logic, or

• the negation $\neg p$ of an atom $p$.

It is also known as a basic statement or basic sentence.

In the context of propositional calculus, this can be referred to as a basic WFF.

Also see

• Basic proposition, which is the same thing from the perspective of boolean algebra.

Sources

• Donald Kalish and Richard Montague: Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning (1964): $\text{II}: \S 5$: Exercises: Group $\text{III}$
• H. Jerome Keisler and Joel Robbin: Mathematical Logic and Computability (1996): $\S 1.9$