coalesce

§English

WOTD – 3 April 2009

§Etymology

From Latin coalēscō, from co- + alēscō (“grow up”).

§Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kəʊ.əˈlɛs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /koʊ.əˈlɛs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

§Verb

coalesce (third-person singular simple present coalesces, present participle coalescing, simple past and past participle coalesced)

1. (of separate elements) To join into a single mass or whole.

   The droplets coalesced into a puddle.

   • 2005, Plato, Sophist, Translation by Lesley Brown, 2,

     ... when a thing's own light and the light from something else coalescing into one on bright and smooth surfaces produce a form which yields a perception reversed from the way a thing normally looks.

2. (of a whole or a unit) To form from different pieces or elements.

   The puddle coalesced from the droplets as they ran together.

3. (engineering) To bond pieces of metal into a continuous whole by liquefying parts of each piece, bringing the liquids into contact, and allowing the combined liquid to solidify.

§Synonyms

• (to join into a single mass): amalgamate, combine, join, merge, unite

§Related terms

• -esce
• coalescence

§Translations

to join into a single mass

• Bulgarian: сливам се (slivam se), обединявам се (obedinjavam se)
• Czech: sloučit se, spojit se
• Catalan: unir-se (ca), ajuntar-se (ca), incorporar-se (ca)
• Chinese: 汇聚 (zh)
• Dutch: versmelten, samensmelten (nl)
• Finnish: yhdistyä, yhtyä (fi), kerääntyä
• French: se fondre, coalescer (fr)
• German: vereinigen (de), verschmelzen, zusammenfließen (de), zusammenfügen, zusammenwachsen

• Portuguese: coalescer, aglutinar (pt)
• Russian: сливаться (ru) (slivatʹsja), объединяться (ru) (obʺjedinjatʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: aonaich, measgaich
• Spanish: juntarse (es), incorporarse
• Swedish: sammansmälta
• Turkish: birleşmek (tr), bütünleşmek (tr), kaynaşmak (tr)

to form from different elements

• Bulgarian: сливам се (slivam se)
• Czech: sloučit se, spojit se
• Dutch: doen versmelten, doen samensmelten
• Finnish: yhdistyä
• French: se réunir (fr), s'unir (fr)
• German: vereinigen (de), verschmelzen, zusammenfließen (de), zusammenfügen, zusammenwachsen

• Portuguese: coalescer, aglutinar (pt)
• Russian: объединяться (ru) (obʺjedinjatʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: aonaich, measgaich
• Spanish: unirse (es)

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§Latin

§Verb

coalesce

1. second-person singular present active imperative of coalescō

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§Portuguese

§Verb

coalesce

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of coalescer
2. second-person singular (tu) affirmative imperative of coalescer