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polyvalent. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
polyvalent, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
polyvalent in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
polyvalent you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
From poly- + -valent.
Adjective
polyvalent (comparative more polyvalent, superlative most polyvalent)
- Multivalent; having a number of different forms, purposes, meanings, aspects or principles.
- (chemistry) Having a high valence, especially more than three.
- (chemistry) Having multiple valencies.
- (biology) Containing antibodies to more than one kind of pathogen.
- (linguistics) Having several different syllabic or semantic meanings depending on the context.
2004, Jonathan Cohen et. al, “iClay: Digitizing Cuneiform”, in The 5th International Symposium on Virtual Reality, Archaeology and Cultural Heritage:The approximately 1000 different cuneiform signs form a complex script system in which practically every symbol is polyvalent, i.e., having multiple phonemic and/or semantic realizations.
Derived terms
French
Etymology
From poly- and -valent
Pronunciation
Adjective
polyvalent (feminine polyvalente, masculine plural polyvalents, feminine plural polyvalentes)
- versatile, multipurpose; that has various uses, functions, or capacities
Noun
polyvalent m (plural polyvalents, feminine polyvalente)
- an employee who carries out various different functions
Further reading