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Glite Dictionary
NAND gate

NAND gate

3.9
An electronic part that outputs true unless all inputs are true
  • noun
  • /nænd ɡeɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : puerta NAND
  • In digital electronics, the NAND gate is often used to create more complex logical operations.

Examples

  • A set of four rods, for instance, could establish a NOT or NAND gate, the building blocks of computer logic.

    Academic text (2003)

  • "We used these optical switches to construct a NAND gate, which is a fundamental building block of modern computer processing," says Piccione in the press release.

    Blog text (9)

  • The cool thing about a NAND gate is that it's a universal gate that you can build up.

  • So I'll just connect that around to one of the inputs here of a NAND gate down here on the bottom.

  • A NAND gate outputs true only when at least one of its inputs is false.

  • Engineers frequently utilize a NAND gate as it is essential for building various types of circuits.

Synonyms

NAND circuit
vsNAND gate
  • Specialized
5.1

An electronic device that gives an off signal only when all inputs are on

has identical function but uses the alternate term focused on logical concept

Surface Forms

NAND gate singular
NAND gates plural

Morphology

NAND + gate

The compound follows a transparent pattern 'X gate' where the second word denotes a logic device, but the head 'NAND' is a technical acronym (NOT-AND) whose meaning requires knowledge of Boolean operators. A B1 learner who knows ordinary vocabulary but not logical operator conventions would not reliably derive 'inverse of AND', so the expression is only partially predictable.

Etymology

NAND gate comes from joining the words NOT and AND: it works like an AND gate but the output is then flipped by NOT. So a NAND gate gives 'true' in every case except when all inputs are 'true', which is why it is the 'inverse' of an AND gate.