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covalence

American

[koh-vey-luhns] / koʊˈveɪ ləns /

noun

Chemistry.

the number of electron pairs that an atom can share with other atoms.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of covalence

First recorded in 1915–20; co- + valence

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.