I. -ˈhirənt, -er- also -ēr- adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French adhérent, from Latin adhaerent-, adhaerens, present participle
1. : having the quality of adhering : tending to adhere
an adherent coating of frost
2. : connected with or related to ; specifically : formally or contractually bound to or associated with
nations adherent to the world organization
3. botany : having usually separate parts united : adnate
4. : modifying a noun and standing before it
busy in “a busy street”, tomato in “tomato soup”, down in “the down train”, pay-as-you-go in “a pay-as-you-go plan” are adherent
— compare appositive I 2, attributive I 1a, predicate III
• ad·her·ent·ly adverb
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French adhérent, adjective, or Latin adhaerent-, adhaerens, present participle
1. : one that adheres: as
a. : a follower of a leader, party, or profession
the adherents of Charles the First — T.B.Macaulay
adherents to the Communist party — J.B.Conant
b. : a believer in or advocate of a particular thing, idea, or church
adherents of the respective faiths — B.K.Sandwell
adherents to a hostile foreign power — Vannevar Bush
2. : a person 14 years of age or older who has made the Salvation Army his place of worship and is listed on Army records but has not become a soldier because of reservations or inability to comply with requirements