valency
2 synonyms for valency, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The ability of something to join or react with other things, such as how many types of germ a vaccine can work against.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
The ability of something to join or react with other things, such as how many types of germ a vaccine can work against.
“Some etymons appear to have greater valency than others when it comes to the formation of portmanteau words.”
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 participl...
Full origin of valency →