conjugate

adjective

con·ju·gate | \ˈkän-ji-gət,

-jə-ˌgāt\

Definition of conjugate

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : joined together especially in pairs : coupled a conjugate relationship

b : acting or operating as if joined

2a : having features in common but opposite or inverse in some particular

b : relating to or being conjugate complex numbers complex roots occurring in conjugate pairs

3 of an acid or base : related by the difference of a proton The acid NH₄⁺ and the base NH₃ are conjugate to each other.

4 : having the same derivation and therefore usually some likeness in meaning conjugate words

5 of two leaves of a book : forming a single piece

conjugate

verb

con·ju·gate | \ˈkän-jə-ˌgāt

conjugated; conjugating

Definition of conjugate (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to give in prescribed order the various inflectional forms of —used especially of a verb

2 : to join together

intransitive verb

1 : to become joined together

2a : to pair and fuse in conjugation (see conjugation sense 3a)

b : to pair in synapsis

conjugate

noun

con·ju·gate | \ˈkän-ji-gət,

-jə-ˌgāt\

Definition of conjugate (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : something conjugate : a product of conjugating

2 : conjugate complex number

3 : an element of a mathematical group that is equal to a given element of the group multiplied on the right by another element and on the left by the inverse of the latter element

Other Words from conjugate Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about conjugate

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Examples of conjugate in a Sentence

Verb

Can you conjugate the verb “to go”? biological cells conjugating under a microscope

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

One of the distinguishing fats is conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, which some regard as the clearest indicator of grass-feeding. — Peter Whoriskey, kansascity.com, "Why your milk may not be truly organic," 8 May 2017 Those mind-numbing exercises in high school—factoring polynomials, conjugating verbs, memorizing the periodic table—were possibly the opposite: mind-sensitizing. — Siddhartha Mukherjee, The New Yorker, "A.I. versus M.D.," 23 Mar. 2017 For many, decoding Trump is like conjugating irregular verbs in Latin. — William D. Cohan, The Hive, "Wall Street Is Sick of Trump’s Act," 16 May 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Among the itineraries will be at least 3 conjugate pairs; additionally, the number of coins in the two groups in each pair must be of different parity. — Nicholas Diaco, Scientific American, "Privacy and Counterfeit Coins," 20 Mar. 2018 Given an itinerary ∂, ‘‘conjugate itinerary’’, denoted by ∂, is the unique itinerary in which all R’s are replaced by L’s, and all L’s are replaced by R’s. — Nicholas Diaco, Scientific American, "Privacy and Counterfeit Coins," 20 Mar. 2018 The drug being tested, known as SC-007, is a type of antibody-drug conjugate, designed to home in on malignant cells while sparing healthy tissues. — Rebecca Robbins, STAT, "Another drug acquired from Peter Thiel-backed biotech appears to have flopped," 30 Apr. 2018 AChE conjugate—if military labs were willing to share samples. — Richard Stone, Science | AAAS, "U.K. attack shines spotlight on deadly nerve agent developed by Soviet scientists," 19 Mar. 2018 This means that the fake coins have conjugate itineraries. Because of the aforementioned condition, if there exists a coin with an itinerary ∂ and there are no coins with itinerary , then all the coins in ∂ are necessarily real. — Nicholas Diaco, Scientific American, "Privacy and Counterfeit Coins," 20 Mar. 2018 Now, students entering the 12th grade must receive a second dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine, or MCV, to protect against meningitis. — Rita Giordano, Philly.com, "New Pa. health rule: Get your kids vaccinated or they can't go to school," 8 Aug. 2017 The CDC also recommends that pre-teens get a meningococcal conjugate vaccine, which protects against bacterial meningitis, between 11 and 12 years old, and a booster at age 16. — Korin Miller, SELF, "5 Things You Probably Never Knew About Meningitis," 27 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conjugate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for conjugate

Adjective

Middle English conjugat, from Latin conjugatus, past participle of conjugare to unite, from com- + jugare to join, from jugum yoke — more at yoke

Verb

see conjugate entry 1

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Dictionary Entries near conjugate

conjugate complex number

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Time Traveler for conjugate

The first known use of conjugate was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for conjugate

conjugate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of conjugate

grammar : to list the different forms of a verb that show number, person, tense, etc.

See the full definition for conjugate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

conjugate

verb

con·ju·gate | \ˈkän-jə-ˌgāt

conjugated; conjugating

Kids Definition of conjugate

: to give the various forms of a verb in order

conjugate

adjective

con·ju·gate | \ˈkän-ji-gət, -jə-ˌgāt

Medical Definition of conjugate

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : functioning or operating simultaneously as if joined conjugate eye movements

2 of an acid or base : related by the difference of a proton the acid NH₄⁺ and the base NH₃ are conjugate to each other

conjugate

verb

con·ju·gate | \-jə-ˌgāt

conjugated; conjugating

Medical Definition of conjugate (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to unite (as with the elimination of water) so that the product is easily broken down (as by hydrolysis) into the original compounds benzoic acid is conjugated with glycine to hippuric acid in the body

intransitive verb

1 : to pair and fuse in conjugation

2 : to pair in synapsis