Advertisement
Vocabulary Entry
valency
|noun • noun
Advertisement
N
noun
The capacity of an atom to bond with other atoms, usually determined by the number of electrons in its outer shell.
Example Sentences
"Oxygen has a valency of two, allowing it to form bonds with two hydrogen atoms."
"In chemistry, understanding the valency of elements helps predict how they will react with one another."
"The valency of carbon is four, enabling it to create complex organic molecules."
N
noun
In linguistics, valency refers to the number of arguments a verb can have.
Example Sentences
"The verb 'eat' has a valency of two: it requires a subject and an object."
"Some verbs have a high valency and can take many complements, while others have a low valency."
"Understanding valency is essential for analyzing sentence structures."