agglutination
Meanings
Plural: agglutinations
Noun
- a clumping of bacteria or red cells when held together by antibodies (agglutinins)
- the building of words from component morphemes that retain their form and meaning in the process of combining
- the coalescing of small particles that are suspended in solution; these larger masses are then (usually) precipitated
- The act of uniting by glue or other tenacious substance; the state of being thus united; adhesion of parts.
- Combination in which root words are united with little or no change of form or loss of meaning. See agglutinative.
- The clumping together of red blood cells or bacteria, usually in response to a particular antibody.
Origin / Etymology
Multiple origins. The oldest usage, in relation to tissues adhering or healing in medical contexts, appears in the 16th century, from French agglutination. The linguistic sense derived from this usage during the early 19th century. The sense of gluing or cementing objects together in other contexts is from New Latin agglutinatio, from Latin agglūtinō (“glue; fasten to”) + -iō (a suffix used to form nouns). Compare Spanish aglutinación (“uniting; (linguistic) agglutination”), French agglutiner (“to paste together”, verb), and German Agglutination (“(linguistic) agglutination”) and Agglutinierung (“(biological) adhering, clumping”).
Synonyms
agglutinating activity
Scrabble Score: 0
agglutination is not valid in Scrabble (US) TWL Dictionaryagglutination is not valid in Scrabble (MW) Merriam-Webster Dictionary
agglutination is not valid in International Collins CSW Dictionary