In computer science, a binomial heap is a data structure that acts as a priority queue. It is an example of a mergeable heap (also called meldable heap), as it supports merging two heaps in logarithmic time. It is implemented as a heap similar to a binary heap but using a special tree structure that is different from the complete binary trees used by binary heaps. Binomial heaps were invented in 1978 by Jean Vuillemin.