electrovalence

Also e·lec·tro·va·len·cy

[ih-lek-troh-vey-luhns]

noun

Chemistry.

1. Also called polar valence. the valence of an ion, equal to the number of positive or negative charges acquired by an atom through a loss or gain of electrons.

2. Also called electrovalent bond. ionic bond.

Other Word Forms

• electrovalent adjective
• electrovalently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of electrovalence¹

First recorded in 1920–25; electro(n) + valence