valence

Meaning

1. The combining capacity of an atom, functional group, or radical determined by the number of atoms of hydrogen with which it will unite, or the number of electrons that it will gain, lose, or share when it combines with other atoms, etc.
2. The number of binding sites of a molecule, such as an antibody or antigen.
3. The number of arguments that a verb can have, including its subject, ranging from zero to three or, less commonly, four.
4. A one-dimensional value assigned by a person to an object, situation, or state, that can usually be positive (causing a feeling of attraction) or negative (repulsion).
5. The value which a person places on something.

Synonyms

valency

atomicity

fortitude

pith

pithiness

stamina

valance

valences

vigor

vigour

vim

virility

atomic value

quantivalence

quantivalency

sinewiness

Valency

verb valency

chemical valence

adicity

valency number

Hyphenated as

val‧ence

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈveɪl(ə)ns/

Etymology

Cognate with Middle English: valence

In summary

Sense 1.1 (“combining capacity of an atom”) and sense 3 (“one-dimensional value assigned by a person to an object, situation, or state”) are borrowed from German Valenz + English -ence (suffix meaning ‘having the condition or state of’). Valenz is a clipping of Quantivalenz (“(archaic) valence in chemistry”), from English quantivalence, from Latin quantus (“how much”) + English -i- (interfix inserted between morphemes of Latin origin for ease of pronunciation) + Latin valentia (“bodily strength; health; vigour”) (whence Late Middle English valence (“medicinal preparation made from plants”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“to rule; powerful, strong”)). Quantivalence was coined by F. O. Ward who communicated it to the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann (1818–1892), leading him to coin the German word Quantivalenz. Doublet of value.
Sense 2 (“number of arguments a verb can have”) was formed by analogy to the use of the word in chemistry: see above.