entry
fusion
/ˈfjuːʒən/The joining or blending of separate things
From Latin fus- / fūsiō (Pouring out).
from Latin fūsiōnem (the accusative of fūsiō)
from French fusion or directly
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin fūsiōnem (the accusative of fūsiō)
from French fusion or directly
+1 more sourcePicture a Roman substance pouring from one vessel into another: Latin fūsiō named that outpouring, and the same family supplied the idea of melting. English encountered fusion through Middle French, with the word first appearing around 1555 in a translation by Richard Eden. For centuries it chiefly meant heat doing its work on metal; only later did it become a grand word for things joining forces, from political parties to atoms and jazz musicians. Nuclear fusion, recorded in this sense by 1947, gives the old image its most spectacular setting: tiny nuclei pouring their identities together while releasing enormous energy. Remember fusion as “pouring until separate things become one”—a vocabulary image that connects a molten workshop to the sun.
The Story
Picture a Roman substance pouring from one vessel into another: Latin fūsiō named that outpouring, and the same family supplied the idea of melting. English encountered fusion through Middle French, with the word first appearing around 1555 in a translation by Richard Eden. For centuries it chiefly meant heat doing its work on metal; only later did it become a grand word for things joining forces, from political parties to atoms and jazz musicians. Nuclear fusion, recorded in this sense by 1947, gives the old image its most spectacular setting: tiny nuclei pouring their identities together while releasing enormous energy. Remember fusion as “pouring until separate things become one”—a vocabulary image that connects a molten workshop to the sun.
Modern Usage
A tactic for combining weak gems into a stronger one
Kin & Kindred
From 'fus- / fūsiō'·Pouring out, melting, or flowing together
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary