Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
cohesion - 10 dictionary results

co⋅he⋅sion

  [koh-hee-zhuhn]
Use cohesion in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act or state of cohering, uniting, or sticking together.
2. Physics. the molecular force between particles within a body or substance that acts to unite them. Compare adhesion (def. 4).
3. Botany. the congenital union of one part with another.
4. Linguistics. the property of unity in a written text or a segment of spoken discourse that stems from links among its surface elements, as when words in one sentence are repeated in another, and esp. from the fact that some words or phrases depend for their interpretation upon material in preceding or following text, as in the sequence Be assured of this. Most people do not want to fight. However, they will do so when provoked, where this refers to the two sentences that follow, they refers back to most people, do so substitutes for the preceding verb fight, and however relates the clause that follows to the preceding sentence. Compare coherence (def. 5).
Origin:
1670–80; var. of cohaesion < L cohaes- (var. s. of cohaerēre to cohere ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms:
co⋅he⋅sion⋅less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cohesion
co·he·sion   (kō-hē'zhən)   
n.  
  1. The act, process, or condition of cohering: exhibited strong cohesion in the family unit.
  2. Physics The intermolecular attraction by which the elements of a body are held together.
  3. Botany The congenital union of parts of the same kind, such as a calyx of five united sepals.

[From Latin cohaesus, past participle of cohaerēre, to cling together; see cohere.]
co·he'sive (-sĭv, -zĭv) adj., co·he'sive·ly adv., co·he'sive·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Cohesion

Co*he"sion\, n. [Cf. F. coh['e]sion. See Cohere.]

1. The act or state of sticking together; close union.

2. (Physics) That from of attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass, whether like or unlike; -- distinguished from adhesion, which unites bodies by their adjacent surfaces.

Solids and fluids differ in the degree of cohesion, which, being increased, turns a fluid into a solid. --Arbuthnot.

3. Logical agreement and dependence; as, the cohesion of ideas. --Locke.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

cohesion

The molecular (see molecule) attraction or joining of the surfaces of two pieces of the same substance. (Compare adhesion.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

cohesion 
1678, from L. cohæsus, pp. of cohærere "to stick together" (see coherent).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Main Entry: co·he·sion
Pronunciation: kO-'hE-zh&n
Function: noun
1 : the act or process of sticking together tightly
2 : the molecular attraction by which the particles of a body are united throughout the mass —compare ADHESION 3
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

cohesion co·he·sion (kō-hē'zhən)
n.
The intermolecular attraction that holds molecules and masses together.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
cohesion   (kō-hē'zhən)  Pronunciation Key 
The force of attraction that holds molecules of a given substance together. It is strongest in solids, less strong in liquids, and least strong in gases. Cohesion of molecules causes drops to form in liquids (as when liquid mercury is poured on a piece of glass), and causes condensing water vapor to form the droplets that make clouds. Compare adhesion.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

COHESION programming
DEC's CASE environment.
[Details?].
(1995-01-04)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source

cohesion

in physics, the intermolecular attractive force acting between two adjacent portions of a substance, particularly of a solid or liquid. It is this force that holds a piece of matter together. Intermolecular forces act also between two dissimilar substances in contact, a phenomenon called adhesion. These forces originate principally because of coulomb (electrical) forces. When two molecules are close together, they are repelled; when farther apart, they are attracted; and when they are at an intermediate distance, their potential energy is at a minimum, requiring the expenditure of work to either approximate or separate them. Thus, work is required to pull apart two objects in intimate contact, whether they be of the same or different material.

Learn more about cohesion with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see cohesion on Thesaurus | Reference
>