junction

[juhngk-shuhn]

noun

1. an act of joining; combining.

2. the state of being joined; union.

3. a place or point where two or more things are joined, as a seam or joint.

   Synonyms: welt, coupling, linkage, union

4. a place or point where two or more things meet or converge.

5. a place or station where railroad lines meet, cross, or diverge.

6. an intersection of streets, highways, or roads.

7. something that joins other things together.

   He used the device as a junction between the branch circuit and the main power lines.

   Synonyms: connection

junction

/ ˈdʒʌŋkʃən /

noun

1. a place where several routes, lines, or roads meet, link, or cross each other

   a railway junction

2. a point on a motorway where traffic may leave or join it

3. electronics

   1. a contact between two different metals or other materials

      a thermocouple junction

   2. a transition region between regions of differing electrical properties in a semiconductor

      a p-n junction

4. a connection between two or more conductors or sections of transmission lines

5. the act of joining or the state of being joined

Other Word Forms

• junctional adjective
• interjunction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of junction¹

First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin junctiōn- (stem of junctiō ), equivalent to junct(us), past participle of jungere “to join” ( jung- join + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of junction¹

C18: from Latin junctiō a joining, from junctus joined, from jungere to join

Synonym Study

Junction, juncture refer to a place, line, or point at which two or more things join. A junction is also a place where things come together: the junction of two rivers. A juncture is a line or point at which two bodies are joined, or a point of exigency or crisis in time: the juncture of the head and neck; a critical juncture in a struggle.

Example Sentences

Five people were taken to hospital - a man, two women and two children - after the incident on Saintfield Road at the junction of Old Ballynahinch Road.

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Most importantly Pokrovsk is a key road and rail junction in the east, and losing the city could pave the way for Russian forces to advance on the more central Dnipropetrovsk region.

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When an electrical impulse reaches the end of a neuron at a junction called a synapse, it converts into a chemical signal to transmit information to the next neuron.

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He also says to pay particular attention to the junction between the tooth and the gum as that's where gum disease can occur.

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"All the trains are running at maximum speed at that junction since August."

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Related Words

• confluence 
• crossing 
• intersection 
• juncture 
• terminal