conjugation

American  

[kon-juh-gey-shuhn] / ˌkɒn dʒəˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. Grammar.

   1. the inflection of verbs.

   2. the whole set of inflected forms of a verb or the recital or display thereof in a fixed order.

      The conjugation of the Latin verb amo begins amō, amas, amat.

   3. a class of verbs having similar sets of inflected forms.

      the Latin second conjugation.

2. an act of joining.

   a conjugation of related ideas.

3. the state of being joined together; union; conjunction.

4. Biology.

   1. the reproductive process in ciliate protozoans in which two organisms of different mating types exchange nuclear material through a temporary area of fusion.

   2. temporary union or permanent fusion as a form of sexual reproduction in certain algae and fungi, the male gametes of one organism uniting with female gametes of the other.

   3. a temporary union of two bacteria, in Escherichia and related groups, in which genetic material is transferred by migration of a plasmid, either solitary or as part of a chromosome, from one bacterium, the donor, to the other, the recipient; sometimes also including the transfer of resistance to antibiotics.

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conjugation British  

/ ˌkɒndʒʊˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. grammar

   1. inflection of a verb for person, number, tense, voice, mood, etc

   2. the complete set of the inflections of a given verb

2. a joining, union, or conjunction

3. a type of sexual reproduction in ciliate protozoans involving the temporary union of two individuals and the subsequent migration and fusion of the gametic nuclei

4. (in bacteria) the direct transfer of DNA between two cells that are temporarily joined

5. the union of gametes, esp isogametes, as in some algae and fungi

6. the pairing of chromosomes in the early phase of a meiotic division

7. chem the existence of alternating double or triple bonds in a chemical compound, with consequent electron delocalization over part of the molecule

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conjugation Scientific  

/ kŏn′jə-gā′shən /

1. A type of sexual reproduction in single-celled organisms, such as bacteria and some algae and fungi, in which two organisms or cells from the same species join together to exchange genetic material before undergoing cell division.

2. The fusion of two gametes to form a zygote, as in some algae and fungi.

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Other Word Forms

• conjugational
  adjective
• conjugationally
  adverb
• nonconjugation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of conjugation

1400–50; late Middle English conjugacion (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin conjugātiōn- (stem of conjugātiō ), equivalent to conjugāt ( us ) ( see conjugate) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Conjugation was known to be widespread and common among bacteria.

From New York Times • Aug. 13, 2018

Conjugation Publisher Hearst had the honor last week to announce the marriage of his Hearst's International and his Cosmopolitan magazines.

From Time Magazine Archive

Conjugation takes place in a different manner in different cases.

From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Forel, Auguste

There are, likewise, two systems of conjugation in Old English: the Strong or Old Conjugation, and the Weak or New Conjugation.

From Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book with Inflections, Syntax, Selections for Reading, and Glossary by Smith, C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso)

Number, the remaining one of Kant's Groups of the Categories, finds also its minor representative in this domain in the Numbers, Singular, Dual, and Plural, incorporated into the Conjugation of the Verb.

From Continental Monthly , Vol. 5, No. 6, June, 1864 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various