Definitions Related words Phrases Mentions Lyrics History Colors (New!)

Literary notes about aggregation (AI summary)

In literature, the term aggregation is often employed to denote the process of bringing together disparate elements into a collective whole, whether in a physical, biological, or social context. It is used to describe tangible collections, such as the aggregation of mineral particles forming a rock or a statue made of marble particles that, despite their contact, do not constitute a true unity [1][2]. Equally, authors apply the concept to living systems—referring to the aggregation of cells into a functioning organism or the clustering of protoplasm into structures that define life [3][4][5]. Beyond the physical and biological realms, aggregation also captures the notion of social and abstract collections, as in the aggregation of families forming a clan or of individuals whose collective presence redefines a community or audience [6][7][8]. This multifaceted use of aggregation underscores its role as a metaphor for the unification of small, otherwise individual parts into complex and sometimes more structured wholes [9][10].
  1. THE ROCKS Rocks record three distinct methods which nature employs in the aggregation of minerals.
    — from The Flow of Time in the Connecticut Valley: Geological Imprints by Howard A. (Howard Augustus) Meyerhoff
  2. A statue is an aggregation of particles of marble, but as such it has no unity.
    — from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James
  3. Before the child is born, therefore, the placenta, which is an aggregation of villi, acts as its stomach, intestines, lungs, and kidneys.
    — from The Prospective Mother, a Handbook for Women During Pregnancy by J. Morris (Josiah Morris) Slemons
  4. Thus, we have the second grade of structural complication in living creatures—namely, the aggregation of cells into a loosely joined mass.
    — from The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879 by Various
  5. This change, which Mr. Darwin discovered, and turns to much account in his researches, he terms "aggregation of the protoplasm."
    — from Darwiniana; Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism by Asa Gray
  6. In fact, and in the view of the men who composed it, it was an aggregation of families .
    — from Ancient Law: Its Connection to the History of Early Society by Maine, Henry Sumner, Sir
  7. The aggregation of Families forms the Gens or House.
    — from Lion and Dragon in Northern China by Johnston, Reginald Fleming, Sir
  8. Why then does the public, as an aggregation of individuals, allow itself to become suspicious of the medical profession, an aggregation of physicians?
    — from Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress at Saint Paul, September 5-8, 1910 by United States. National Conservation Congress
  9. But certainly the aggregation of the evidence produced a very striking effect on my mind.
    — from Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2 by Charles Darwin
  10. Europe consists of the densest aggregation of population in the history of the world.
    — from The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes

More usage examples

Also see: Google, News, Images, Wikipedia, Reddit, BlueSky


Home   Reverse Dictionary / Thesaurus   Datamuse   Word games   Spruce   Feedback   Dark mode   Random word   Help


Color thesaurus

Use OneLook to find colors for words and words for colors

See an example

Literary notes

Use OneLook to learn how words are used by great writers

See an example

Word games

Try our innovative vocabulary games

Play Now

Read the latest OneLook newsletter issue: Threepeat Redux