noun
- plural of multivalency; the quality or state of having multiple valences or values; in chemistry, the capacity of an element to combine with different numbers of other atoms.
- plural of multivalency; the property of having or expressing multiple meanings, interpretations, or significances simultaneously.
Usage: technical; chemistry
Usage: linguistics; semiotics
Examples
- The multivalencies of carbon allow it to form diverse organic compounds.
- Chemists study the multivalencies of transition metals in catalysis.
- The poem's multivalencies make it rich with interpretive possibility.
- Literary critics debate the multivalencies of the protagonist's motivations.
- Understanding the multivalencies of key terms is essential in philosophical discourse.