I. ˈkləs-tər noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English clyster; akin to Old English clott clot
Date: before 12th century
: a number of similar things that occur together: as
a. : two or more consecutive consonants or vowels in a segment of speech
b. : a group of buildings and especially houses built close together on a sizable tract in order to preserve open spaces larger than the individual yard for common recreation
c. : an aggregation of stars or galaxies that appear close together in the sky and are gravitationally associated
d. : a larger than expected number of cases of disease (as leukemia) occurring in a particular locality, group of people, or period of time
• clus·tery -t(ə-)rē adjective
II. verb
( clus·tered ; clus·ter·ing -t(ə-)riŋ)
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1. : to collect into a cluster
cluster the tents together
2. : to furnish with clusters
intransitive verb
: to grow, assemble, or occur in a cluster
they cluster ed around the fire