agglutinate

C2 Topic:Science & Research

US verb /əˈɡluːtəˌneɪt/ noun /əˈɡluːtənət/ UK verb /əˈɡluːtɪneɪt/ noun /əˈɡluːtɪnət/ See IPA manual

Freq #1368599

Meanings

1

verb
to cause particles, cells, or other separate things to stick together in a clump or mass, or to undergo such clumping

The antibodies cause the matching blood cells to agglutinate visibly.
2

verb
in linguistics, to attach several affixes to a base so that each expresses a distinct grammatical meaning

The language can agglutinate several suffixes onto a single verb stem.
3

noun
a clump or mass of material formed by agglutination

The lunar soil contained a glassy agglutinate produced by repeated impacts.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to cause particles, cells,... clump cohere adhere

2 verb · in linguistics, to attach... combine join

3 noun · a clump or mass of material... aggregate clump

Opposites

disperse separate

Word family

Forms agglutinated

Derived forms agglutinatedagglutinatingagglutinationagglutinativeagglutinin

Related forms aggregate coagulate affix glue

Etymology

From Latin agglutinare, 'glue or fasten to,' formed from ad-, 'to,' + gluten, 'glue or paste.' The physical idea of sticking particles together underlies its biological, geological, and linguistic uses.

Topics

Science & Research

External links

# agglutinate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /əˈɡluːtəˌneɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈɡluːtɪneɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 1368599

## Meanings
1. to cause particles, cells, or other separate things to stick together in a clump or mass, or to undergo such clumping
2. in linguistics, to attach several affixes to a base so that each expresses a distinct grammatical meaning
3. a clump or mass of material formed by agglutination

## Examples
- The antibodies cause the matching blood cells to agglutinate visibly.
- The language can agglutinate several suffixes onto a single verb stem.
- The lunar soil contained a glassy agglutinate produced by repeated impacts.

## Synonyms
- clump
- cohere
- adhere
- aggregate

## Antonyms
- disperse
- separate

## Derived Forms
- agglutinated
- agglutinating
- agglutination
- agglutinative
- agglutinin

## Related Forms
- aggregate
- coagulate
- affix
- glue

## Etymology
From Latin agglutinare, 'glue or fasten to,' formed from ad-, 'to,' + gluten, 'glue or paste.' The physical idea of sticking particles together underlies its biological, geological, and linguistic uses.

## Topics
- Science & Research

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