In category theory, monoidal functors are functors between monoidal categories which preserve the monoidal structure. More specifically, a monoidal functor between two monoidal categories consists of a functor between the categories, along with two coherence maps—a natural transformation and a morphism that preserve monoidal multiplication and unit, respectively. Mathematicians require these coherence maps to satisfy additional properties depending on how strictly they want to preserve the monoidal structure; each of these properties gives rise to a slightly different definition of monoidal functors The coherence maps of lax monoidal functors satisfy no additional properties; they are not necessarily invertible. The coherence maps of strong monoidal functors are invertible. The coherence maps of strict monoidal functors are identity maps. Although we distinguish between these different definitions here, authors may call any one of these simply monoidal functors. Definition Let and be monoidal categories. A lax monoidal functor from to (which may also just be called a monoidal functor) consists of a functor together with a natural transformation from functors to and a morphism , called the coherence maps or structure morphisms, which are such that for every three objects , and of the diagrams , and commute in the category . Above, the various natural transformations denoted using are parts of the monoidal structure on and . Variants The dual of a monoidal functor is a comonoidal functor; it is a monoidal functor whose coherence maps are reversed. Comonoidal functors may also be called opmonoidal, colax monoidal, or oplax monoidal functors. A strong monoidal functor is a monoidal functor whose coherence maps are invertible. A strict monoidal functor is a monoidal functor whose coherence maps are identities. A braided monoidal functor is a monoidal functor between braided monoidal categories (with braidings denoted ) such that the following diagram commutes for every pair of objects A, B in : A symmetric monoidal functor is a braided monoidal functor whose domain and codomain are symmetric monoidal categories. Examples The underlying functor from the category of abelian groups to the category of sets. In this case, the map sends (a, b) to ; the map sends to 1. If is a (commutative) ring, then the free functor extends to a strongly monoidal functor (and also if is commutative). If is a homomorphism of commutative rings, then the restriction functor is monoidal and the induction functor is strongly monoidal. An important example of a symmetric monoidal