I. -ˌrāt verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin agglomeratus, past participle of agglomerare to heap up, join, from ad- + glomerare to wind into a ball, to assemble, from glomus ball — more at clam
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to wind or collect into a ball
2. : to gather into a mass or cluster
agglomerate dust particles
intransitive verb
: to collect or come together in a mass
caused the oxide film to agglomerate
II. -_rə̇t adjective
Etymology: Latin agglomeratus
: collected into a ball, heap, or mass ; specifically : clustered or growing together but not coherent
an agglomerate head of flowers
III. noun
( -s )
1. : a confused or jumbled mass, heap, or collection
this fine agglomerate of duchies — Thomas Carlyle
2. : a rock composed of volcanic fragments of various sizes and degrees of angularity ; especially : a rock in which the constituent fragments were produced by explosions in the throat of a volcano — compare conglomerate