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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
Andre Claudio, Sourcing Journal, 12 Dec. 2025
The team then traced how these features once connected, revealing which belonged to cohesive, basin-spanning drainage networks.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Dec. 2025
The team discovered that cells seeded in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone vessel avoid sticking to the surface and instead bind to one another, assembling into a cohesive sheet.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Dec. 2025
Some collectors are loyal to a single theme, building cohesive winter scenes year after year, while others take a more eclectic approach.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cohesive
Cite this Entry
“Cohesive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohesive. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cohesive
adjective
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