fusion

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

1555, from Middle French fusion, from Latin fusionem (the accusative of fusio), from fusus, past participle of fundere (“pour, melt”) (see also found).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

fusion (countable and uncountable, plural fusions)

  1. The merging of similar or different elements into a union
  2. (physics) A nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the concomitant release of energy
  3. (music) a style of music that blends disparate genres; especially types of jazz
  4. A style of cooking that combines ingredients and techniques from different countries or cultures
  5. The act of melting or liquifying something by heating it
    • 1855, James David Forbes, “On Glaciers In General”, in Occasional Papers on the Theory of Glaciers[1], published 1859, page 239:
      From a vault in the green-blue ice, more or less perfectly formed each summer, the torrent issues, which represents the natural drainage of the valley, derived partly from land-springs, partly from fusion of the ice.
    • 1951, Peter L. Paull & Frederick Burton Sellers, Method of Reducing Metal Oxides, US Patent 2740706:
      The upper limit of temperature is determined by the point at which fusion of the ore takes place, or often, for practical purposes, the temperature at which the ore softens and agglomerates.
    • 2002, Philippe Rousset, “Modeling Crystallization Kinetics of Triacylglycerols”, in Alejandro G. Marangoni & Suresh Narine editors, Physical Properties of Lipids[2], ISBN 0824700058:
      Below the temperature of fusion of the solid phase, the growth rate of the solid/ liquid interface at low undercooling is affected mainly by undercooling.

Antonyms[edit]

  • (nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine): fission

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

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