conjugation

noun

con·​ju·​ga·​tion ˌkän-jə-ˈgā-shən 

1

a

: a schematic arrangement of the inflectional forms of a verb

b

: verb inflection

c

: a class of verbs having the same type of inflectional forms

the weak conjugation

d

: a set of the simple or derivative inflectional forms of a verb especially in Sanskrit or the Semitic languages

the causative conjugation

2

: the act of conjugating : the state of being conjugated

3

a

: fusion of usually similar gametes with ultimate union of their nuclei and sexual reproduction that occurs in most fungi and in some algae (such as green algae)

b

: temporary cytoplasmic union with exchange of nuclear material that is the usual sexual process in ciliated protozoans

c

: the one-way transfer of DNA between bacteria in cellular contact

conjugational

ˌkän-jə-ˈgā-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

adjective

conjugationally adverb

Examples of conjugation in a Sentence

a lesson on French verb conjugation

Recent Examples on the Web

So seductive is this prospect that bacteria pursue conjugation energetically, often in large groups. —Mark Caldwell, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

Driven by their plasmids, bacteria go in for several variations of conjugation, as bacteriologists demurely call the act. —Mark Caldwell, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

Most first-generation Latinos have stories of being shamed for a mispronounced word or poor conjugation. —Angel Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2023

This includes noun genders, conjugations, and past, present and future tenses. —The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023

While apps like Duolingo are known for hammering in vocabulary through simple flashcard-type quizzes, Rosetta Stone progresses to verbs and conjugation through more complex learning models. —Anna Tingley, Variety, 5 June 2023

But Spanish speakers from four centuries ago might have recognized the unusual verb conjugations — if not the unorthodox pronunciations and words drawn from English and languages indigenous to North America. —Simon Romero Desiree Rios, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2023

One poem contains a note on Spanish verb conjugation, another features an explanation of stereotypic behavior in captive animals, a third includes a pocket history of the 1918 influenza pandemic. —New York Times, 7 Dec. 2021

The numbers around Nadal’s dominance in Paris at this point are more dizzying than French conjugation. —Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 11 Oct. 2020

See More

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

conjugation

noun

con·​ju·​ga·​tion ˌkän-jə-ˈgā-shən 

1

: the act of conjugating : the state of being conjugated

2

: a class of verbs having the same type of inflectional forms

3

a

: the union of sex cells that are usually of the same size and shape and that in most fungi and some algae serves as a simple form of sexual reproduction

b

: a method of reproduction in ciliated protozoans (as a paramecium) that involves the formation of a bridge of cytoplasm between two individuals, the exchange of material in their nuclei, and the division of each individual after they separate

Medical Definition

conjugation

noun

con·​ju·​ga·​tion ˌkän-jə-ˈgā-shən 

1

: the act of conjugating : the state of being conjugated

2

a

: fusion of usually similar gametes with ultimate union of their nuclei that occurs in most fungi and in some algae (as green algae)

b

: temporary cytoplasmic union with exchange of nuclear material that is the usual sexual process in ciliated protozoans

c

: the one-way transfer of DNA between bacteria in cellular contact

conjugational

-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

adjective