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The Latin verb haerēre has shown remarkable stick-to-itiveness in influencing the English lexicon, which is fitting for a word that means "to be closely attached; to stick." Among its descendants are adhere (literally meaning "to stick"), adhere’s relative adhesive (a word for sticky substances), inhere (meaning "to belong by nature or habit"), and even hesitate (which implies remaining stuck in place before taking action). In Latin, haerēre teamed up with the prefix co- to form cohaerēre, which means "to stick together." Cohaerēre is the ancestor of cohesive, a word borrowed into English in the early 18th century to describe something that sticks together literally (such as dough or mud) or figuratively (such as a society or sports team).
Examples of cohesive in a Sentence
Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
There have been fewer comebacks than last season, and while the defensive transition issues that plagued them in 2022-23 still haven’t been completely ironed out, their counter-pressure is much more cohesive.
—Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
After coordinating faux fur coats at a recent Kansas City Chiefs home game, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce brought their cohesive style to New York City.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 28 Dec. 2024
Forging a cohesive national framework will require reconciling different governance models and currencies—not an easy task.
—Karam Shaar, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Cohesive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohesive. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cohesive
adjective
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