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adhesion

[ ad-hee-zhuhn ]
/ ædˈhi ʒən /
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noun
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Origin of adhesion

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, adjectivenon·ad·he·sion, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH adhesion

adherence, adherents, adhesion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use adhesion in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for adhesion

adhesion
/ (ədˈhiːʒən) /

noun
the quality or condition of sticking together or holding fast
ability to make firm contact without skidding or slipping
attachment or fidelity, as to a political party, cause, etc
an attraction or repulsion between the molecules of unlike substances in contact: distinguished from cohesion
pathol abnormal union of structures or parts

Word Origin for adhesion

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 ]

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