I. ˌkänjəˈgāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin conjugation-, conjugatio class of verbs having same type of inflectional forms, from Latin, combining, mixture, from conjugatus (past participle of conjugare to unite) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at conjugate
1. : the act of joining together, uniting, or combining : the state of being joined together : union
conjugation of the sexes
2. obsolete : something joined together or combined
3.
a. : a presentation in some prescribed order of the inflectional forms of a verb
b. : verb inflection
c. : a class of verbs having the same type of inflectional forms
the strong and the weak conjugation
the Latin second conjugation with its infinitive ending in -ēre
d. : any of several sets of inflectional forms belonging to a verb especially in Sanskrit and the Semitic languages including the forms of the simple verb and various derivative sets of forms that typically add to the meaning of the simple verb a passive, reflexive, causative, intensive, frequentative, or desiderative meaning
4.
a. : fusion of two gametes with ultimate union of their nuclei which is the common sexual process among the lower thallophytes resulting typically in formation of a thick-walled zygote, being comparable to fertilization in higher forms though male and female are not usually recognizable, and similarly producing a genetically distinct new generation
b. : temporary cytoplasmic union in pairs of ciliated protozoa accompanied by complex nuclear phenomena comparable to meiosis and fertilization and resulting in two individuals with new genetic constitutions
5. chemistry : the state of being conjugated (sense 2b)
II. noun
: the one-way transfer of DNA between bacteria in cellular contact