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agglomerate
[ verb uh-glom-uh-reyt; adjective noun uh-glom-er-it, -uh-reyt ]
verb (used with or without object)
- to collect or gather into a cluster or mass.
Synonyms: accumulate, amass, assemble
adjective
- gathered together into a cluster or mass.
- Botany. crowded into a dense cluster, but not cohering.
noun
- a mass of things clustered together.
- rock composed of rounded or angular volcanic fragments.
agglomerate
verb
- to form or be formed into a mass or cluster; collect
noun
- a confused mass
- a rock consisting of angular fragments of volcanic lava Compare conglomerate
adjective
- formed into a mass
Derived Forms
- agˌglomerˈation, noun
- agˈglomerative, adjective
Other Words From
- ag·glom·er·a·tive [uh, -, glom, -, uh, -rey-tiv, -er-, uh, -tiv], adjective
- ag·glomer·ator noun
- nonag·glomer·ative adjective
- unag·glomer·ative adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of agglomerate1
Word History and Origins
Origin of agglomerate1
Example Sentences
Ideas don’t develop — they agglomerate in a repetitive, undifferentiated jumble, and the power they might have drains away.
Taken together, they depict a wildly aspirational luxury metropolis that seems to have tipped over without warning into “Blade Runner” dystopia, a city agglomerating by algorithm, recalling a line from J.G.
The old model of urban economics, agglomerated vertically in a clutch of downtown skyscrapers, has gradually ceded to a broader vision of mobility, remote access and live-work neighborhoods.
This view, that the agglomerate of earth and water was not a perfect sphere, was universally accepted in the later Middle Ages, and the new cosmography required its refutation.
For instance, it’s still unclear how solid material agglomerates into planet-sized pieces.
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More About Agglomerate
What does agglomerate mean?
Agglomerate means to collect or gather into a cluster or mass, especially a messy or jumbled one.
As a verb, agglomerate is typically used in a passive way (as opposed to someone doing the agglomerating), as in Much of the garbage in the ocean has agglomerated into a giant floating mass.
The process of agglomerating is called agglomeration. Agglomeration can also refer to a messy cluster or jumbled collection of various elements. Agglomeration is often used to refer to groupings of miscellaneous things—such as various types of objects or even people—into a single (though often somewhat messy) unit. Agglomerate can also be used as a noun to mean the same thing.
The similar word conglomerate can be used in many of the same ways that agglomerate can, but it doesn’t doesn’t always imply a sense of messiness like agglomerate does. And conglomerate is most commonly used as a noun meaning a large corporation consisting of many companies.
Agglomerate can also be used as an adjective to describe things gathered together into a jumbled mass, as in My desk has become an agglomerate mess.
It can also be used in a few more specific ways. In botany, it’s used as an adjective to describe plant parts that are crowded into a dense cluster but not fully connected. In geology, it’s used as a noun referring to a type of rock composed of volcanic fragments.
Example: I forgot that the art project was due today, so my collage is really just an agglomerate of things I found around the house.
Where does agglomerate come from?
The first records of the word agglomerate come from the 1600s. It comes from the Latin agglomerāre, from glomerāre, meaning “to wind into a ball,” from glomus, meaning “ball” or “mass.”
As a noun, agglomerate refers to a mass of different things that have agglomerated together. A dish made from all the leftovers in the fridge could be called an agglomerate—especially when they don’t quite go together (though that quiche and meatball sandwich was pretty delicious). The United States is sometimes described as an agglomerate of different peoples from different places.
Agglomerate is perhaps more commonly used as a verb. When things agglomerate, they often get lumped together in one big jumble. This often happens through natural processes, such as flotsam agglomerating in the ocean or, slightly less naturally, stuff agglomerating in a big pile at the back of the closet.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to agglomerate?
- agglomeration (noun)
- agglomerative (adjective)
- agglomerator (noun)
What are some synonyms for agglomerate?
What are some words that share a root or word element with agglomerate?
What are some words that often get used in discussing agglomerate?
What are some words agglomerate may be commonly confused with?
How is agglomerate used in real life?
The word agglomerate typically involves a collection or mass of various things in a single unit. It often implies messiness, but this isn’t always negative.
Trend alert! "Everywhere you look, cubes, spheres, and pyramids are agglomerating, as if molecularly, into lamps, vases, and tables". Read the @MetropolisMag article and see examples of the recent design trend of stacking forms and shapes. https://t.co/IKCnUrmwE2 pic.twitter.com/7gOIcqYrb8
— ASID (@ASID) May 13, 2019
Intriguing tidbit in this piece on China's rapidly agglomerating cities: when places are connected by high-speed rail, quantity & quality of academic papers by local researchers goes up by nearly 1/3 https://t.co/9aiinbUrpK pic.twitter.com/1W1gFfyeer
— Te-Ping Chen (@tepingchen) June 28, 2018
#Paleogene volcanic vent agglomerate – basalt cobbles and boulders within messed up #Cretaceous chalk. #CausewayCoast wonder! pic.twitter.com/ujTuRX8IXO
— Mark Cooper (@CooperGeoNI) June 30, 2019
Try using agglomerate!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of agglomerate?
A. cluster
B. dissipate
C. jumble
D. mass
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