cluster

[kluhs-ter] /ˈklʌs tər/
noun
1.
a number of things of the same kind, growing or held together; a bunch:
a cluster of grapes.
2.
a group of things or persons close together:
There was a cluster of tourists at the gate.
3.
U.S. Army. a small metal design placed on a ribbon representing an awarded medal to indicate that the same medal has been awarded again:
oak-leaf cluster.
4.
Phonetics. a succession of two or more contiguous consonants in an utterance, as the str- cluster of strap.
5.
Astronomy. a group of neighboring stars, held together by mutual gravitation, that have essentially the same age and composition and thus supposedly a common origin.
Compare globular cluster, open cluster, stellar association.
verb (used with object)
6.
to gather into a cluster or clusters.
7.
to furnish or cover with clusters.
verb (used without object)
8.
to form a cluster or clusters:
The people clustered around to watch.
Origin
before 900; Middle English; Old English cluster, clyster bunch; cognate with Low German kluster
Related forms
clusteringly, adverb
clustery, adjective
intercluster, adjective
subcluster, noun
unclustered, adjective
unclustering, adjective
Synonyms
8. group, gather, throng, crowd, bunch.
Examples from the web for clustering
  • But no one knows whether this indicates a trend or is simply a meaningless random clustering.
  • After all, the clustering of single nucleotide polymorphisms has been observed before, but its cause remains unknown.
  • If you see clustering, you gain confidence in a particular scenario because the models all seem to agree.
  • The dark matter problem can also be viewed as a question of the nature of clustering matter.
  • The clustering could be due to a specific hospital that misuses the pitocin and causes lack of oxygen to the brain at birth.
  • Brain power in this country is increasingly clustering around a handful of dominant metropolitan areas.
  • The dynamic among such specialized enterprises is known as clustering.
  • More and more people are clustering in urban areas-the world's demographic mountain ranges, so to speak.
  • Off the heat stir in one teaspoon of unsalted butter, which will keep the nuts from clustering.
  • Retail sales is another growth industry in which wages are clustering more and more at the extremes.
British Dictionary definitions for clustering

cluster

/ˈklʌstə/
noun
1.
a number of things growing, fastened, or occurring close together
2.
a number of persons or things grouped together
3.
(US, military) a metal insignia worn on a medal ribbon to indicate a second award or a higher class of a decoration or order
4.
(military)
  1. a group of bombs dropped in one stick, esp fragmentation and incendiary bombs
  2. the basic unit of mines used in laying a minefield
5.
(astronomy) an aggregation of stars or galaxies moving together through space
6.
a group of two or more consecutive vowels or consonants
7.
(statistics) a naturally occurring subgroup of a population used in stratified sampling
8.
(chem)
  1. a chemical compound or molecule containing groups of metal atoms joined by metal-to-metal bonds
  2. the group of linked metal atoms present
verb
9.
to gather or be gathered in clusters
Derived Forms
clustered, adjective
clusteringly, adverb
clustery, adjective
Word Origin
Old English clyster; related to Low German Kluster; see clod, clot
Word Origin and History for clustering

cluster

n.

Old English clyster "cluster," probably from the same root as clot (n.). Of stars, from 1727. Cluster-bomb attested from 1967.

v.

late 14c. (transitive), from cluster (n.). Intransitive sense from 1540s. Related: Clustered; clustering.

clustering in Technology


cluster

Encyclopedia Article for clustering

cluster

Atoms and molecules are the smallest forms of matter typically encountered under normal conditions and are in that sense the basic building blocks of the material world. There are phenomena, such as lightning and electric discharges of other kinds, that allow free electrons to be observed, but these are exceptional occurrences. It is of course in its gaseous state that matter is encountered at its atomic or molecular level; in gases each molecule is an independent entity, only occasionally and briefly colliding with another molecule or with a confining wall.

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