Coalesce

 WORD OF THE DAY

coalesce / verb / koh-uh-LESS

Definition
1: to grow together
2a: to unite into a whole
2b: fuse
2c: to unite for a common end
2d: join forces
3: to arise from the combination of distinct elements
4: to cause to unite

Examples
“This is European soccer—or, at least, an idealized version of it: clubs that represent something greater than themselves, offering communities narratives to coalesce around.”
— Tom McTague, The Atlantic, 28 May 2022

And once roasted, let the gratin rest a beat to coalesce—then grab some bread to run through the drippings.
— WSJ, 26 July 2022

Did You Know?
The meaning of many English words equals the sum of their parts, and coalesce is a fitting example. The word unites the prefix co- (“together”) and the Latin verb alescere, meaning “to grow.”
Coalesce is one of a number of English verbs (along with mix, commingle, merge, and amalgamate) that refer to the act of combining parts into a whole.
In particular, coalesce usually implies the merging of similar parts to form a cohesive unit, such as a political ideology, a fan-following, or (perish the thought) a Portuguese man-of-war, the body of which includes three types of zooids.