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fusion

 - 8 dictionary results

fu⋅sion

[fyoo-zhuhn]
–noun
1. the act or process of fusing; the state of being fused.
2. that which is fused; the result of fusing: A ballet production is the fusion of many talents.
3. Politics.
a. a coalition of parties or factions.
b. (initial capital letter) the political party resulting from such a coalition.
4. Also called nuclear fusion. Physics. a thermonuclear reaction in which nuclei of light atoms join to form nuclei of heavier atoms, as the combination of deuterium atoms to form helium atoms. Compare fission (def. 2).
5. Ophthalmology.
a. Also called binocular fusion. the correct blending of the images of both eyes.
b. the perception of rapid, intermittent flashes of light as a continuous beam.
6. popular music that is a blend of two styles, esp. a combining of jazz with either rock, classical music, or such ethnic elements as Brazilian or Japanese music.
7. Linguistics. the merging of linguistic elements, esp. morphemes, usually accompanied by a change in the form of the elements.
–adjective
8. (of food or cooking) combining usually widely differing ethnic or regional ingredients, styles, or techniques: a restaurant serving French-Thai fusion cuisine; a fusion menu.

Origin:
1545–55: < L fūsiōn- (s. of fūsiō) a pouring out, melting. See fuse 2 , -ion


fu⋅sion⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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fu·sion   (fyōō'zhən)   
n.  
  1. The act or procedure of liquefying or melting by the application of heat.

  2. The liquid or melted state induced by heat.

    1. The merging of different elements into a union: the fusion of copper and zinc to form brass; the difficult fusion of conflicting political factions.

    2. A union resulting from fusing: A fusion of religion and politics emerged.

  3. Physics A nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy.

  4. Music that blends jazz elements and the heavy repetitive rhythms of rock. Also called jazz-fusion, jazz-rock.

  5. A style of cooking that combines ingredients and techniques from very different cultures or countries.


[Latin fūsiō, fūsiōn-, from fūsus, past participle of fundere, to melt; see gheu- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fusion 
1555, from M.Fr. fusion, from L. fusionem (nom. fusio), from fusus, pp. of fundere "pour, melt" (see found (2)). In nuclear physics sense, first recorded 1947.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fu·sion
Pronunciation: 'fyü-zh&n
Function: noun
often attributive 1 a : the act or process of liquefying orrendering plastic by heat b : the liquid or plastic state induced by heat
2 : a union by or as if by melting together: as a : a merging of diverseelements into a unified whole; specifically : the blending of retinal images in binocular vision b : a combination of ingredients achieved by heating and mixingtogether c (1) : a blend of sensations, perceptions, ideas, or attitudes such that the component elements can seldom be identified by introspective analysis (2) : theperception of light from a source that is intermittent above a critical frequency as if the source were continuous called also flicker fusion; —compare FLICKER d : the surgical immobilization of a joint —see SPINAL FUSION
3 : the union of atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei resulting in the release of enormousquantities of energy when certain light elements unite called also nuclear fusionfu·sion·al /-&l/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

fusion fu·sion (fy&oomacr;'zhən)
n.

  1. The act or procedure of liquefying or melting by the application of heat.

  2. The merging of different elements into a union, as of vertebrae.

  3. The mechanism by which both eyes blend slightly different images from each eye into a single image.

  4. The growing together of two or more teeth as a result of the abnormal union of their formative organs.

  5. A nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
fusion   (fy'zhən)  Pronunciation Key 


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  1. The joining together of atomic nuclei, especially hydrogen or other light nuclei, to form a heavier nucleus, especially a helium nucleus. Fusion occurs when plasmas are heated to extremely high temperatures, forcing the nuclei to collide at great speed. The resulting unstable nucleus emits one or more neutrons at very high speeds, releasing more energy than was required to fuse the nuclei, thereby making chain-reactions possible, since the reaction is exothermic. Fusion reactions are the source of the energy in the Sun and in other stars, and in hydrogen bombs. See also fission.

  2. A mixture or blend formed by fusing two or more things.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

FUSION
Software package supplied by Network Research Corporation claiming to connect various different configurations of LAN.

fusion programming
A program transformation where a composition of two functions is replaced by in-lining them and combining their bodies. E.g.
f x = g (h x) ==> f x = g (2 * x) g x = x + 1 f x = 2 * x + 1 h x = 2 * x
This has the beneficial effect of reducing the number of function calls. It can be especially useful where the intermediate result is a large data structure which can be eliminated.
See also vertical loop combination.
(1994-12-05)

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