Terms, definitions, and symbols

3. Terms, definitions, and symbols
1 For the purposes of this International Standard, the following definitions apply. Other
terms are defined where they appear in italic type or on the left side of a syntax rule.
Terms explicitly defined in this International Standard are not to be presumed to refer
implicitly to similar terms defined elsewhere. Terms not defined in this International
Standard are to be interpreted according to ISO/IEC 2382−1. Mathematical symbols not
defined in this International Standard are to be interpreted according to ISO 31−11.
3.1
1 access
áexecution-time actionñ to read or modify the value of an object
2 NOTE 1 Where only one of these two actions is meant, ‘‘read’’ or ‘‘modify’’ is used.
3 NOTE 2 "Modify’’ includes the case where the new value being stored is the same as the previous value.
4 NOTE 3 Expressions that are not evaluated do not access objects.
3.2
1 alignment
requirement that objects of a particular type be located on storage boundaries with
addresses that are particular multiples of a byte address
3.3
1 argument
actual argument
actual parameter (deprecated)
expression in the comma-separated list bounded by the parentheses in a function call
expression, or a sequence of preprocessing tokens in the comma-separated list bounded
by the parentheses in a function-like macro invocation
3.4
1 behavior
external appearance or action
3.4.1
1 implementation-defined behavior
unspecified behavior where each implementation documents how the choice is made
2 EXAMPLE An example of implementation-defined behavior is the propagation of the high-order bit
when a signed integer is shifted right.
3.4.2
1 locale-specific behavior
behavior that depends on local conventions of nationality, culture, and language that each
implementation documents

2 EXAMPLE An example of locale-specific behavior is whether the islower function returns true for
characters other than the 26 lowercase Latin letters.
3.4.3
1 undefined behavior
behavior, upon use of a nonportable or erroneous program construct or of erroneous data,
for which this International Standard imposes no requirements
2 NOTE Possible undefined behavior ranges from ignoring the situation completely with unpredictable
results, to behaving during translation or program execution in a documented manner characteristic of the
environment (with or without the issuance of a diagnostic message), to terminating a translation or
execution (with the issuance of a diagnostic message).
3 EXAMPLE An example of undefined behavior is the behavior on integer overflow.
3.4.4
1 unspecified behavior
behavior where this International Standard provides two or more possibilities and
imposes no further requirements on which is chosen in any instance
2 EXAMPLE An example of unspecified behavior is the order in which the arguments to a function are
evaluated.
3.5
1 bit
unit of data storage in the execution environment large enough to hold an object that may
have one of two values
2 NOTE It need not be possible to express the address of each individual bit of an object.
3.6
1 byte
addressable unit of data storage large enough to hold any member of the basic character
set of the execution environment
2 NOTE 1 It is possible to express the address of each individual byte of an object uniquely.
3 NOTE 2 A byte is composed of a contiguous sequence of bits, the number of which is implementationdefined.
The least significant bit is called the low-order bit; the most significant bit is called the high-order
bit.
3.7
1 character
áabstractñ member of a set of elements used for the organization, control, or
representation of data
3.7.1
1 character
single-byte character
áCñ bit representation that fits in a byte

3.7.2
1 multibyte character
sequence of one or more bytes representing a member of the extended character set of
either the source or the execution environment
2 NOTE The extended character set is a superset of the basic character set.
3.7.3
1 wide character
bit representation that fits in an object of type wchar_t, capable of representing any
character in the current locale
3.8
1 constraint
restriction, either syntactic or semantic, by which the exposition of language elements is
to be interpreted
3.9
1 correctly rounded result
representation in the result format that is nearest in value, subject to the effective
rounding mode, to what the result would be given unlimited range and precision
3.10
1 diagnostic message
message belonging to an implementation-defined subset of the implementation’s message
output
3.11
1 forward reference
reference to a later subclause of this International Standard that contains additional
information relevant to this subclause
3.12
1 implementation
particular set of software, running in a particular translation environment under particular
control options, that performs translation of programs for, and supports execution of
functions in, a particular execution environment
3.13
1 implementation limit
restriction imposed upon programs by the implementation
3.14
1 object
region of data storage in the execution environment, the contents of which can represent
values

2 NOTE When referenced, an object may be interpreted as having a particular type; see 6.3.2.1.
3.15
1 parameter
formal parameter
formal argument (deprecated)
object declared as part of a function declaration or definition that acquires a value on
entry to the function, or an identifier from the comma-separated list bounded by the
parentheses immediately following the macro name in a function-like macro definition
3.16
1 recommended practice
specification that is strongly recommended as being in keeping with the intent of the
standard, but that may be impractical for some implementations
3.17
1 value
precise meaning of the contents of an object when interpreted as having a specific type
3.17.1
1 implementation-defined value
unspecified value where each implementation documents how the choice is made
3.17.2
1 indeterminate value
either an unspecified value or a trap representation
3.17.3
1 unspecified value
valid value of the relevant type where this International Standard imposes no
requirements on which value is chosen in any instance
2 NOTE An unspecified value cannot be a trap representation.
3.18
1 éxù
ceiling of x: the least integer greater than or equal to x
2 EXAMPLE é2. 4ù is 3, é-2. 4ù is −2.
3.19
1 ëxû
floor of x: the greatest integer less than or equal to x
2 EXAMPLE ë2. 4û is 2, ë-2. 4û is −3.