Adglutinate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To closely join numerous distinct portions in a way that they become attached or united
2. To bring together various separate elements in a manner that creates a strong attachment or union
3. To cause separate parts to adhere firmly forming a single mass

Etymology: "Adglutinate" is an obsolete spelling of "agglutinate," a verb meaning to stick things together firmly, and its spelling reflects a Latin root in which "ad" (meaning "to") sat in front of "gluten" (glue). The Latin verb "agglutinare" joined "ad-" to "glutinare," a verb built on "gluten," the Latin word for glue or a sticky substance. The "ad-" prefix changed to "ag-" before the "g" sound, a common pattern in Latin compounds, and the "d" in the spelling was an older form that English writers eventually dropped. The word has a close relative in "accrete," which is a synonym. Accrete developed as a back-formation from "accretion," meaning that English speakers took "accretion" as the base and carved out a verb from it, rather than the verb coming first and the noun following. The two words share the same Latin logic of things growing together by adding material to one another.