kōˈhi(ə)r, -iə verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin cohaerēre, from co- + haerēre to stick, cling — more at hesitate
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to hold together firmly, solidly, stickily, with resistance to separation (as of ingredients in a conglomeration or similar particles in a mass)
particles of wet sand cohere
the two sticky surfaces cohere
often : stick , adhere — usually used of a substance stuck to a similar substance
b. botany : to display cohesion
2.
a. : to consist of or become marked by parts, ingredients, or elements which cohere
despite the addition of a bonding agent the mass would not cohere
b.
(1) of a group or community : to become harmoniously united by common interests or sense of social membership or by emotional ties and especially with the cooperative playing down of any individual differences or disagreements
torn by personal animosities, the town did not cohere in any of its endeavors
(2) of an individual : to be a cooperative part of a group or community united in this way
the necessity that he shall conform, that he shall cohere — T.S.Eliot
c. : to have unambiguous connectedness and logical or aesthetic interrelation of parts : fit together naturally and consistently with suitable order, proportion, and similarity of tone without jar or wrench
did not the whole composition cohere , were its unity broken, it would be not one picture — Irwin Edman
d. : to become fittingly connected or unified by certain principles, relationships, or themes especially in the study or presentation of one purpose or idea
pure arithmetic coheres with its basal elements given in whole numbers — Samuel Alexander
3. : to be consistent : suit , fit
the account coheres
the adornments cohere with the base design
transitive verb
: to make (parts or components) fit or stick together in a suitable or orderly way
amends, coheres, and sharpens our map — Times Literary Supplement
Synonyms: see adhere