conjugate
conjugate Lexical Profile
conjugate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To give the different inflected forms of a verb according to voice, mood, tense, number, and person.
"Students in introductory Spanish classes spend their first few weeks learning how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense."
To temporarily unite and exchange genetic material (used especially of bacteria and unicellular organisms during sexual reproduction).
"Under stressful environmental conditions, ciliated protozoans may conjugate to increase genetic diversity."
To combine or join two molecules or chemical groups together, often to make a substance soluble or biologically inactive.
"The liver enzymes conjugate bilirubin with glucuronic acid so that it can be safely excreted by the body."
• adjective
Relating to two or more mathematical, chemical, or physical quantities or entities that are reciprocally related and interchangeable in certain properties (such as complex numbers differing only in the sign of their imaginary parts, or an acid-base pair differing by a single proton).
"When acetic acid donates a proton in solution, the resulting acetate ion acts as its conjugate base."
Joined together, especially in pairs; coupled or acting in union.
"The optometrist examined the patient's conjugate eye movements to ensure both eyes were tracking the light in unison."
Derived from the same linguistic root and therefore generally related in meaning (used of words).
"In the phrase 'sing a song,' the verb and its object are conjugate words sharing a common Germanic root."
• noun
A mathematical expression, complex number, or chemical species that is reciprocally related to another by a specific rule or proton transfer.
"To rationalize the denominator of the fraction, the students multiplied both the top and bottom by the complex conjugate."
A substance formed by the reversible or covalent union of two or more chemical or biological compounds (such as a protein bound to a polysaccharide in a vaccine).
"The research team developed an antibody-drug conjugate designed to deliver chemotherapy directly to targeted cells."
A word that shares a common etymological derivation with another word and normally has a related meaning.
"The adjective 'wise' and the noun 'wisdom' are familiar English conjugates."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Conjugate' is a heteronym: as a verb, the final syllable is pronounced with a long 'a' (/ˈkɒndʒʊɡeɪt/), whereas as a noun or adjective, the final vowel is reduced to a schwa (/ˈkɒndʒʊɡət/). In grammar, verbs are conjugated, whereas nouns, pronouns, and adjectives are declined.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 15th century from Latin 'conjugatus', the past participle of 'conjugare' ('to yoke together, unite'), formed from 'con-' ('together') and 'jugum' ('yoke').