linkage

noun link·age \ ˈliŋ-kij \

Definition of linkage

1 :the manner or style of being united: such as

a :the manner in which atoms or radicals are linked in a molecule

b :bond 3c

2 :the quality or state of being linked; especially :the relationship between genes on the same chromosome that causes them to be inherited together — compare mendel's law 2

3 :a system of links; especially :a system of links or bars which are jointed together and more or less constrained by having a link or links fixed and by means of which straight or nearly straight lines or other point paths may be traced

4 :link 2b

5 :the tactic in diplomatic negotiations of linking often unrelated issues so that progress in one area is dependent on agreement in another

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Examples of linkage in a Sentence

linkages between population growth and disease
the accountants noticed a linkage between the two supposedly independent companies

Recent Examples of linkage from the Web

The explanation must also demonstrate the linkage between Iran and North Korea.

— john r. bolton, National Review, "How to Get Out of the Iran Nuclear Deal," 28 Aug. 2017
In recent years, the linkage has received a stamp of approval from the National Academy of Sciences and the National Climate Assessment, two scientific bodies that represent the consensus scientific view.

— justin worland, Time, "Is Hurricane Harvey Related to Climate Change? Scientists Have a Better Answer," 25 Aug. 2017
Since teams and their fans traveled to games by train in those days, transportation linkage was vital to a league’s success.

— arthur hart, idahostatesman, "Hall of Fame pitcher got start in Idaho striking out Dudes, Beet Diggers," 19 Aug. 2017
There is an obvious linkage corridor that would cut a huge amount of that distance off; the village would need to buy a small strip of land to make that happen.

— jeanne houck, Cincinnati.com, "Link Newtown's Lake Barber to bike trail, Harten says," 9 Aug. 2017
The shift throws are a little longer than my current car, but the clutch and shift linkage work well - nothing heavy, progressive engagement.

— bengt halvorson, Car and Driver, "2018 Tesla Model 3: Everything We Know," 4 Aug. 2017
By examining innovations in proximity to one another, Fehring exposes the linkages between Milwaukee's engineering achievements.

— sarah hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'Magnificent Machines of Milwaukee' recalls inventions, engineering innovations," 14 July 2017
For all of the complaints about that linkage, the 2003–16 period produced a fairly interesting and competitive slate of games even if the 11–3 tilt towards the AL was lopsided.

— jay jaffe, SI.com, "All-Star Game rosters feature plenty of youth and even more power," 3 July 2017
This mythology established linkages between Turks, the Turkish language, and the land.

— steven a. cook, The Atlantic, "Turkey's Identity Crisis," 25 June 2017

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