mathematics A set with a
total ordering and no infinite descending
chains. A total ordering "x x x x x = y
for all x, y: x In addition, if a set W is well-ordered then all non-empty subsets A of W have a least element, i.e. there exists x in A such that for all y in A, x
Ordinals are isomorphism classes of
well-ordered sets, just as
integers are isomorphism classes of finite sets.
(1995-04-19)