sum of its parts

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English[edit]

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Alternative forms[edit]

Noun[edit]

sum of its parts (plural sums of their parts)

  1. A group which can be seen as a mere juxtaposition of the elements that compose it; a collection of things where there is no new property or added value emerging from interactions between its parts.
    Together, the ant colony was greater than the sum of its parts.

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

  • emergent (having properties as a whole that are more complex than the properties contributed by each of the components individually)
  • synergy