/ kənˈglɒmərət; NAmE -ˈglɑːm-/ noun
1.
[ C ] ( business ) a large company formed by joining together different firms :
a media conglomerate
2.
[ sing. ] ( formal ) a number of things or parts that are put together to form a whole
3.
[ U ] ( geology ) a type of rock made of small stones held together by dried clay
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (as an adjective describing something gathered up into a rounded mass): from Latin conglomeratus , past participle of conglomerare , from con- together + glomus , glomer- ball. The geological sense dates from the early 19th cent.; the other noun senses are later.