English · Word Candidate

cons

/ˈkɑnz/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: conses · consing · consed

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A data structure in Lisp that is a pair of pointers, car and cdr, used mainly for lists.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

To obtain a list from a cons or a nesting of conses; to prepend an element to a list by forming a cons of that element and the list; to obtain a list from a smaller one by repeated application of such kind of prepending.

Verb

Examples

This version of length arises naturally from the recursive definition of a list: “a list is either the empty list or an element consed onto another list.”

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “cons” mean?

A data structure in Lisp that is a pair of pointers, car and cdr, used mainly for lists.

Is “cons” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.