concatenation

American  

[kon-kat-n-ey-shuhn] / kɒnˌkæt nˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of linking together in a chain; concatenating.

   The network is formed by the concatenation of nodes.

2. the state of being concatenated; connection, as in a chain.

   The concatenation of component elements in the power grid makes the system vulnerable to cyber attacks.

3. a series of interconnected or interdependent things or events.

   Human history is a concatenation of power struggles and people trying to survive.

4. Also called string concatenation.  Computers. the process of joining strings of characters or data into a continuous series with no gaps.

   Due to string concatenation, the program reads “may be” and “maybe” as the same.

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Etymology

Origin of concatenation

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin concatēnātiōn- (stem of concatēnātiō ), equivalent to concatēnāt(us) “linked together, connected” + -iōn- noun suffix; concatenate, -ation

Example Sentences

An example of such a concatenation is: x ∧ ¬x.

From Scientific American

The term quasar is a concatenation of quasi-stellar radio source — so called because when they were first identified, astronomers like Hong-Yee Chiu, who coined the term, were completely baffled by these strange interstellar objects.

From Salon

That underpainting, rather than continuous from edge to edge across the surface, is a concatenation of independent patches, all different.

From Los Angeles Times

A concatenation of many things gave Mr. Haggerty the unusual — he frequently called it “absurd” — inclination to make gay country music.

From New York Times

The only clue to this seemingly accidental concatenation of stones are nine words lightly carved into one of the blocks: “Until real heroes bloom, this dusty plinth will wait.”

From Washington Post