A partial word is a string that may contain a number of "do not know" or "do not care" symbols i.e. placeholders in the string where the symbol value is not known or not specified. More formally, a partial word is a partial function where is some finite alphabet. If u(k) is not defined for some then the unknown element at place k in the string is called a "hole". In regular expressions (following the POSIX standard) a hole is represented by the metacharacter ".". For example, aab.ab.b is a partial word of length 8 over the alphabet A ={a,b} in which the fourth and seventh characters are holes.
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Famous quotes containing the words partial and/or word:
“You must not be partial in judging: hear out the small and the great alike; you shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 1:17.
“open thou thy manly mouth, and say that thou wilt come;
Whereby my heart may think, although I see not thee,
That thou wilt come, thy word so sware, if thou a livesman be.”
—Unknown. The Lady Prayeth the Return of Her Lover Abiding on the Seas (l. 4–6)