Oligomerizations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process by which smaller molecular units come together to form a larger, complex assembly
2. a chemical reaction where monomers or similar molecules combine to create an oligomer
3. the phenomenon that plays a crucial role in the formation of biochemical substances through their assembly into larger structures

Etymology: "Oligomerizations" is the plural of "oligomerization," a term for the chemical reaction in which monomers, or similar molecules, join to form an oligomer. The word is built from two parts. "Oligomer" combines the Greek "oligos," meaning "few" or "little," with "meros," meaning "part," so an oligomer is a molecule made of a few linked units, as opposed to a polymer, which has many. The chemistry term "oligomer" is itself a modern coinage from these classical roots, not an ancient one. The ending "-ization" is the familiar English suffix that turns verbs into nouns of process, as in "polymerization" or "ionization." It descends from Latin "-tio," which passed through Old French "-ation" into Middle English, and "-ize," a verb-forming ending from Greek "-izein" that came into English through Late Latin "-izare" and Middle French "-iser." Joining "oligomer" to "-ization" gives a name for the act of forming an oligomer.