I'm attempting to describe the process of changing the sign of a variable (in a math/programming context), but I'm not able to come up with a singular word for that process, even though it seems like there should be one. I presume I could use "negate," but that already has meanings in regards to logic, where you can turn an argument p into not p, and in regular English, where it means "to nullify" and "to cause negative results" – both of which, though particularly the first definition, are not completely accurate in regards to the actual process.
Succinctly, is there a single word (as opposed to a phrase) that means "to change the sign of"?
Best Answer
Additive Inverse.
"This operation is also known as the opposite (number), sign change, and negation"
"Along its application to real numbers, "change of sign" is used throughout mathematics and physics to denote the additive inverse (multiplication to −1)" - Wikipedia (Sign)