valency
The capacity of something to combine with other things, as for example the capability…Alternative form of valence (“the combining capacity of an atom, functional group, or radical determined by the number of atoms of hydrogen with which it will unite, or the number of electrons that it will gain, lose, or share when it combines with other atoms, etc.”).: The capacity of something to combine with other things, as for example the capability of a vaccine as measured by the number of pathogen serotypes that it can counteract.
Meaning
3 sensesAlternative form of valence (“the combining capacity of an atom, functional group, or radical determined by the number of atoms of hydrogen with which it will unite, or the number of electrons that it will gain, lose, or share when it combines with other atoms, etc.”).
(Britain, broadly, uncountable)The capacity of something to combine with other things, as for example the capability of a vaccine as measured by the number of pathogen serotypes that it can counteract.
vaccine valency
(Britain, countable)The number of edges connected to a vertex in a graph.
(Britain, uncountable)Importance, significance.
- the phenomenon of forming chemical bonds
- (chemistry) a property of atoms or radicals; their combining power given in terms of the number of hydrogen atoms (or the equivalent)
- (biology) a relative capacity to unite or react or interact as with antigens or a biological substrate
Translations
1 languagesOrigin
From Late Latin valentia and Latin valentia (“bodily strength; health; vigour”) + EnglishFrom Late Latin valentia and Latin valentia (“bodily strength; health; vigour”) + English -y (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state). Valentia is derived from valēns (“healthy, strong, vigorous”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns); while valēns is the present active participle of valeō (“to be healthy, sound, or well; to be strong; to have influence or power, etc.”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“to rule; powerful, strong”).
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Forms
plural: valenciesSynonyms
2 synonymsWord family
13 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable