valence
valence Lexical Profile
valence Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The combining power of an element, especially as measured by the number of hydrogen atoms it can displace or combine with in a chemical compound.
"Carbon typically has a valence of four, allowing it to form complex organic molecules by bonding with multiple other atoms."
The intrinsic attractiveness (positive valence) or aversiveness (negative valence) of an event, object, or situation, often used in psychology.
"The researcher asked the participants to evaluate the emotional valence of their most vivid childhood memories."
The number of grammatical arguments, such as the subject and direct objects, that a verb takes.
"Intransitive verbs like 'sleep' have a valence of one, as they require only a subject to form a complete sentence."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English, the variant 'valency' is frequently preferred, particularly in chemistry and linguistics contexts.
• Rhymes for valence
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Late Latin 'valentia' meaning 'strength or capacity', derived from the Latin verb 'valere', meaning 'to be strong or have power'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.