English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
noun

valency

Valency (noun) means the capacity of something to combine with other things, as for example the capability of a vaccine as measured by the number of pathogen serotypes that it can counteract.

noun
1
The capacity of something to combine with other things, as for example the capability of a vaccine as measured by the number of pathogen serotypes that it can counteract.
2
The number of edges connected to a vertex in a graph.
3
Importance, significance.
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “valency” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Etymology

From Late Latin valentia and Latin valentia (“bodily strength; health; vigour”) + English -y (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state). Valentia is derived from valēns (“healthy, strong, vigorous”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns); while valēns is the present active participle of valeō (“to be healthy, sound, or well; to be strong; to have influence or power, etc.”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“to rule; powerful, strong”). Sense 1 (“combining capacity of an atom”) and sense 3 (“number of arguments a verb can have”) are possibly from valence + -y.

Rhymes for valency

See all rhymes for valency →

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of valency?

"valency" (noun) means the capacity of something to combine with other things, as for example the capability of a vaccine as measured by the number of pathogen serotypes that it can counteract.

What are the different meanings of valency?

"valency" has 3 main meanings: 1. The capacity of something to combine with other things, as for example the capability of a vaccine as measured by the number of pathogen serotypes that it can counteract; 2. The number of edges connected to a vertex in a graph; 3. Importance, significance.

Definitions from wiktionary, CC BY-SA · etymology from Wiktionary