How Well Do You Know English Slang?
mu (myōō, mōō)
Symbol μ The 12th letter of the Greek alphabet. adj.
Of, relating to, or being a polypeptide chain that is one of five types of heavy chains present in immunoglobins.
mu f . H f = H (mu f . H f)
An alternative notation for the same function is
fix H = H (fix H)
See fixed point combinator.
Hackers tend to be sensitive to logical inadequacies in language, and many have adopted this suggestion with enthusiasm. The word "mu" is actually from Chinese, meaning "nothing"; it is used in mainstream Japanese in that sense, but native speakers do not recognise the Discordian question-denying use. It almost certainly derives from overgeneralisation of the answer in the following well-known Rinzei Zen teaching riddle:
A monk asked Joshu, "Does a dog have the Buddha nature?" Joshu retorted, "Mu!"
See also has the X nature, AI Koan.
[Douglas Hofstadter, "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid"].