Adhesion
/ədˈhiː.ʒən/noun
The act or state of sticking to something; close attachment or support.
Did you know?Adhesion comes from Latin *adhaesio*, built from *ad-* (“to, toward”) + *haerere* (“to stick, cling”), the same ancient root behind surprisingly sticky words like *adhere* and *hesitate*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰers-
“to bristle, stand out, or stick out”
Latin
Latin
haerēre
“to stick, cling, be fixed”
Late Latin
Latin
adhaesio
“a sticking to, clinging”
Old French
Old French
adhesion
“attachment, adherence”
Middle English
English
adhesion
“the act of sticking or adhering”
Modern English
English
adhesion
“the property of sticking to a surface or of holding together”