conjugation

[ kon-juh-gey-shuhn ]

noun

1. Grammar.
   1. the inflection of verbs.
   2. the whole set of inflected forms of a verb or the recital or display thereof in a fixed order:

      The conjugation of the Latin verb amo begins amō, amas, amat.

   3. a class of verbs having similar sets of inflected forms:

      the Latin second conjugation.

2. an act of joining:

   a conjugation of related ideas.

3. the state of being joined together; union; conjunction.
4. Biology.
   1. the reproductive process in ciliate protozoans in which two organisms of different mating types exchange nuclear material through a temporary area of fusion.
   2. temporary union or permanent fusion as a form of sexual reproduction in certain algae and fungi, the male gametes of one organism uniting with female gametes of the other.
   3. a temporary union of two bacteria, in Escherichia and related groups, in which genetic material is transferred by migration of a plasmid, either solitary or as part of a chromosome, from one bacterium, the donor, to the other, the recipient; sometimes also including the transfer of resistance to antibiotics.

conjugation

/ ˌkɒndʒʊˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. grammar
   1. inflection of a verb for person, number, tense, voice, mood, etc
   2. the complete set of the inflections of a given verb
2. a joining, union, or conjunction
3. a type of sexual reproduction in ciliate protozoans involving the temporary union of two individuals and the subsequent migration and fusion of the gametic nuclei
4. (in bacteria) the direct transfer of DNA between two cells that are temporarily joined
5. the union of gametes, esp isogametes, as in some algae and fungi
6. the pairing of chromosomes in the early phase of a meiotic division
7. chem the existence of alternating double or triple bonds in a chemical compound, with consequent electron delocalization over part of the molecule

conjugation

/ kŏn′jə-gā′shən /

1. A type of sexual reproduction in single-celled organisms, such as bacteria and some algae and fungi, in which two organisms or cells from the same species join together to exchange genetic material before undergoing cell division.
2. The fusion of two gametes to form a zygote, as in some algae and fungi.

Derived Forms

• ˌconjuˈgational, adjective
• ˌconjuˈgationally, adverb

Other Words From

• conju·gation·al adjective
• conju·gation·al·ly adverb
• noncon·ju·gation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of conjugation¹

1400–50; late Middle English conjugacion (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin conjugātiōn- (stem of conjugātiō ), equivalent to conjugāt ( us ) ( conjugate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

And as entertaining as I was, I drove my poor husband from the room, his ears sick of what amounted to an elocution of poorly remembered, high school French verb conjugation delivered in rhyme and interspersed with outbursts of les poissons, les poissons!

From Salon

"We believe that Tantalosin can be a unique molecule that facilitates understanding new functions of noncanonical conjugation of LC3 to endosomal membranes. We hope that further studies will reveal the role of LC3-membrane conjugation and its associated proteins in membrane deformation processes," says Anastasia Knyazeva.

From Science Daily

By joining the expertise in ON chemistry, including novel functionalization technology, of the Gothelf lab together with the peptide science legacy of Novo Nordisk, new and robust conjugation chemistry has emerged.

From Science Daily

But there are few ways to build internal links between, say, “periodic table pdf” and “querer conjugation”—let alone between them and the Believer’s high-value pages.

From Slate

One poem contains a note on Spanish verb conjugation, another features an explanation of stereotypic behavior in captive animals, a third includes a pocket history of the 1918 influenza pandemic.

From New York Times