concatenation

[ kon-kat-n-ey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of linking together in a chain; concatenating:

   The network is formed by the concatenation of nodes.

2. the state of being concatenated; connection, as in a chain:

   The concatenation of component elements in the power grid makes the system vulnerable to cyber attacks.

3. a series of interconnected or interdependent things or events:

   Human history is a concatenation of power struggles and people trying to survive.

4. Computers. Also called string concatenation. the process of joining strings of characters or data into a continuous series with no gaps:

   Due to string concatenation, the program reads “may be” and “maybe” as the same.

Word History and Origins

Origin of concatenation¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Late Latin concatēnātiōn- (stem of concatēnātiō ), equivalent to concatēnāt(us) “linked together, connected” + -iōn- noun suffix; concatenate, -ation

Example Sentences

An example of such a concatenation is: x ∧ ¬x.

From Scientific American

We don’t yet have estimates for the latest, still-ongoing series of disasters, but it seems safe to say that this global concatenation of extreme weather events would have been virtually impossible without climate change.

From Seattle Times

The term quasar is a concatenation of quasi-stellar radio source — so called because when they were first identified, astronomers like Hong-Yee Chiu, who coined the term, were completely baffled by these strange interstellar objects.

From Salon

That underpainting, rather than continuous from edge to edge across the surface, is a concatenation of independent patches, all different.

From Los Angeles Times

A concatenation of many things gave Mr. Haggerty the unusual — he frequently called it “absurd” — inclination to make gay country music.

From New York Times