del

The word “del” means the mathematical symbol (an inverted delta) used for the gradient, divergence, or curl operator in vector calculus. In plain terms, a math symbol used in vector calculus to represent operations like gradient and divergence.

“Del” is pronounced dehl (/dɛl/ in IPA).

Here is “del” used in a sentence: “The del operator appears throughout the equations of electromagnetism.”

Words with a similar meaning to “del” include atled and nabla.

“Del” is a noun.

“Del” is a fairly common word in modern English.

"Del" is the inverted-triangle symbol (∇) used as a vector differential operator in calculus, while "delta" is the Greek letter written as an upright triangle (Δ), commonly meaning "change in" a quantity. They look like flipped versions of each other but have different meanings.

They name the same symbol (∇). "Nabla" is the name of the symbol itself, while "del" is the name mathematicians and physicists more often use when reading it in operations like "del f."

The "del" operator is used to express the gradient of a scalar field, the divergence of a vector field, and the curl of a vector field. The way it is combined with a function — directly, with a dot, or with a cross — determines which of these it represents.