/ ˈveɪlənsi; NAmE / noun [ C , U ] ( pl. -ies ) (also va·lence / ˈveɪləns; NAmE / especially in NAmE )
1.
( chemistry ) a measurement of the power of an atom to combine with others, by the number of hydrogen atoms it can combine with or displace :
Carbon has a valency of 4.
2.
( linguistics ) the number of grammatical elements that a word, especially a verb, combines with in a sentence
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: from late Latin valentia power, competence, from valere be well or strong.