adhesion

[ ad-hee-zhuhn ]
See synonyms for adhesion on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act or state of adhering; state of being adhered or united: the adhesion of parts united by growth.

  2. steady or devoted attachment, support, etc.; adherence.

  1. assent; concurrence.

  2. Physics. the molecular force of attraction in the area of contact between unlike bodies that acts to hold them together.: Compare cohesion (def. 2).

  3. Pathology.

    • the abnormal union of adjacent tissues.

    • the tissue involved.

  4. Botany. the union of normally separate parts.

  5. Railroads.

    • the frictional resistance of rails to the tendency of driving wheels to slip.

Origin of adhesion

1
1615–25; <Medieval Latin adhēsiōn- for Latin adhaesiōn- (stem of adhaesiō) a clinging, equivalent to adhaes(us), past participle of adhaerēre to adhere + -iōn--ion

Other words from adhesion

  • ad·he·sion·al, adjective
  • non·ad·he·sion, noun

Words that may be confused with adhesion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use adhesion in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for adhesion

adhesion

/ (ədˈhiːʒən) /


noun
  1. the quality or condition of sticking together or holding fast

  2. ability to make firm contact without skidding or slipping

  1. attachment or fidelity, as to a political party, cause, etc

  2. an attraction or repulsion between the molecules of unlike substances in contact: distinguished from cohesion

  3. pathol abnormal union of structures or parts

Origin of adhesion

1
C17: from Latin adhaesiōn- a sticking. See adhere

usage For adhesion

Adhesion is the preferred term when talking about sticking or holding fast in a physical sense. Adherence is preferred when talking about attachment to a political party, cause, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for adhesion

adhesion

[ ăd-hēzhən ]


  1. The force of attraction that causes two different substances to join. Adhesion causes water to spread out over glass. Compare cohesion.

  2. A fibrous band of abnormal tissue that binds together tissues that are normally separate. Adhesions form during the healing of some wounds, usually as a result of inflammation.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for adhesion

adhesion

The molecular (see molecule) attraction that holds the surfaces of two dissimilar substances together. (Compare cohesion.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.