ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Polyvalent

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Polyvalent is an adjective meaning Multivalent; having a number of different forms, purposes, meanings, aspects or principles.

Meaning

Multivalent; having a number of different forms, purposes, meanings, aspects or principles.

More Meanings

  1. (chemistry) Having a high valence, especially more than three.
  2. (chemistry) Having multiple valencies.
  3. (biology) Containing antibodies to more than one kind of pathogen.
  4. (linguistics) Having several different syllabic or semantic meanings depending on the context.

Example Sentences

The approximately 1000 different cuneiform signs form a complex script system in which practically every symbol is polyvalent, i.e., having multiple phonemic and/or semantic realizations.

Synonyms for polyvalent

Depending on context, synonyms include multivalent.

Antonyms for polyvalent

Common opposites include monovalent, univalent.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include multivalent, multi-purpose, multipurpose, versatile, one-stop, utility.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

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