coalesce
koh-uh-LES
/ˌkoʊəˈlɛs/
To come together to form one mass, whole, or community.
Describes a natural, gradual process of merging where individual elements lose their separate identities to form a single entity.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'coalescere', meaning 'to grow together'. The root 'alere' (to nourish) is the same root found in 'alimentary' and 'alumnus'. It beautifully suggests that when things coalesce, they nourish each other as they become one.
Word relationships
- merge: Merge is a general term for combining, while coalesce emphasizes a gradual, organic growing together into a single body.
- disperse: Disperse means to scatter or spread over a wide area, moving away from a central point.
Commonly confused with
- acquiesce: Acquiesce means to accept something reluctantly but without protest, while coalesce means to merge together.
Word family
- coalescence (noun): The joining or merging of elements to form one mass or whole.
Collocations
- coalesce into a group
- begin to coalesce
- coalesce around an idea
Example sentences
- "The various local protest groups eventually began to coalesce into a powerful national movement." Political movements
- "The theory explains how cosmic dust particles coalesce to form planets over billions of years." Scientific theory
Memory hook
Think of 'coal'. Coal is formed when organic matter is compressed and coalesces over millions of years into a single solid rock. Grow together into one.
When not to use
Do not use when elements are temporarily joined but still retain their distinct, separate physical forms.
Fun facts
- In meteorology, 'coalescence' is the process by which water droplets in a cloud collide and combine to form larger droplets, eventually falling as rain.
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