[koh-hee-zhuh
n] 
| 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). |
| co·he·sion (kō-hē'zhən) n.
[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. |
cohesion co·he·sion (kō-hē'zhən)
n.
The intermolecular attraction that holds molecules and masses together.
| 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. |
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.
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