operational semantics
英[ˌɔpəˈreiʃənəl sɪˈmæntɪks]美[ˌɑpəˈreʃənəl sɪˈmæntɪks]
Operational semantics are a category of formal programming language semantics in which certain desired properties of a program, such as correctness, safety or security, are verified by constructing proofs from logical statements about its execution and procedures, rather than by attaching mathematical meanings to its terms (denotational semantics). Operational semantics are classified in two categories: structural operational semantics (or small-step semantics) formally describe how the individual steps of a computation take place in a computer-based system.