n. an axiom or theorem of a particular formal system that states for a given pair of operators that one distributes over the other; that is, that an expression in which the former has as an argument a term containing the latter is equivalent to an expression in which the latter has wider scope and the former operates directly on each of what were the terms of the latter. For example, is the distributive law for arithmetic multiplication over addition. These do not distribute in the other order, but set union and intersection, for example, distribute in either order.