valency
noun/ˈveɪlənsi/
/ˈveɪlənsi/
[countable, uncountable] (plural valencies)
(also valence
/ˈveɪləns/
/ˈveɪləns/
especially in North American English)- (chemistry) a measurement of the power of an atom to combine with others, by the number of atoms of hydrogen it can combine with or displace
- Carbon has a valency of 4.
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- (linguistics) the number of grammatical elements that a word, especially a verb, combines with in a sentence
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from late Latin valentia ‘power, competence’, from valere ‘be well or strong’.
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