I am unclear about the OwnValues for Set and SetDelayed. Remove[“Global`*”] ySet = a; ySetDelayed := b; {OwnValues[ySet], OwnValues[ySetDelayed]} Out[10]= {{HoldPattern[ySet] :> a}, {HoldPattern[ySetDelayed] :> b}} Let me clarify why using :> seems strange to me. The Wofram documentation for “How to | Create and Use Rules” says In[11]:= x -> 3 Out[11]= x ->Read more