Clustered

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈklʌstəd/

Definitions

1. Formed by various elements gathered tightly in one area
2. Arranged in groups that are positioned near each other in a compact way
3. Collected or assembled into a dense group or bunch at a particular spot

Etymology: "Clustered" is simply the past tense and past participle of "cluster," so its history is that of the verb it comes from. That verb was formed from the noun, which in Middle English meant a bunch, a spray, or a compact mass, and which came from Old English "cluster" or "clyster," meaning a bunch or branch. The noun's deeper roots lie in a Proto-Germanic base meaning "to clump, lump together," joined to a suffix that formed nouns for tools or instruments. The idea of something gathered into a tight lump is therefore built into the word from the start. Its Dutch, Icelandic, Low German and Swedish relatives preserve the same sense of a bunch or clump.

Synonyms: grouped, gathered, assembled, bunched, congregated