SYNTHESIS (syntheses)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: syntheses   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does synthesis mean? 

• SYNTHESIS (noun)
  The noun SYNTHESIS has 3 senses:

1. the process of producing a chemical compound (usually by the union of simpler chemical compounds)

2. the combination of ideas into a complex whole

3. reasoning from the general to the particular (or from cause to effect)

  Familiarity information: SYNTHESIS used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SYNTHESIS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The process of producing a chemical compound (usually by the union of simpler chemical compounds)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("synthesis" is a kind of...):

chemical action; chemical change; chemical process ((chemistry) any process determined by the atomic and molecular composition and structure of the substances involved)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "synthesis"):

biogenesis; biosynthesis (production of a chemical compound by a living organism)

chemosynthesis (synthesis of carbohydrate from carbon dioxide and water; limited to certain bacteria and fungi)

nucleosynthesis ((astronomy) the cosmic synthesis of atoms more complex than the hydrogen atom)

Derivation:

synthesise (combine so as to form a more complex, product)

synthetical (involving or of the nature of synthesis (combining separate elements to form a coherent whole) as opposed to analysis)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The combination of ideas into a complex whole

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

synthesis; synthetic thinking

Hypernyms ("synthesis" is a kind of...):

abstract thought; logical thinking; reasoning (thinking that is coherent and logical)

Antonym:

analysis (the abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations)

Derivation:

synthesise (combine so as to form a more complex, product)

synthesist (an intellectual who synthesizes or uses synthetic methods)

synthetic; synthetical (involving or of the nature of synthesis (combining separate elements to form a coherent whole) as opposed to analysis)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Reasoning from the general to the particular (or from cause to effect)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

deduction; deductive reasoning; synthesis

Hypernyms ("synthesis" is a kind of...):

abstract thought; logical thinking; reasoning (thinking that is coherent and logical)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "synthesis"):

syllogism (deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises)

Derivation:

synthesise (combine so as to form a more complex, product)

synthetic (of a proposition whose truth value is determined by observation or facts)

synthetical (involving or of the nature of synthesis (combining separate elements to form a coherent whole) as opposed to analysis)

 Context examples 

Any substance that inhibits adenylosuccinate synthetase, an enzyme involved in the de novo synthesis of adenosine.

(Adenylosuccinate Synthetase Inhibitor, NCI Thesaurus)

Using a technique called a genome-wide association study, they mapped genes that control synthesis of all the "tasty" chemicals.

(Scientists develop genetic path to tastier tomatoes, NSF)

This results in an induction of synthesis of certain proteins while inhibiting the synthesis of others.

(Alclometasone Dipropionate, NCI Thesaurus)

F-Ade inhibits DNA polymerase alpha, ribonucleotide reductase and DNA primase, thereby interrupting DNA synthesis and inhibiting tumor cell growth.

(Adenovirus-Encoding E.coli PNP, NCI Thesaurus)

By breaking down the problem of speech synthesis into two parts, the researchers appear to have made it easier to apply their findings to multiple individuals.

(Scientists translate brain signals into speech sounds, National Institutes of Health)

This allele, which encodes ATP-citrate synthase protein, plays a role in both acetyl-CoA metabolism and de novo lipid synthesis.

(ACLY wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

NSF's Division of Materials Research supports discovery, synthesis and characterization of new types of materials, and studies to understand their crystal structures, chemical bonding and physical properties. said program director Birgit Schwenzer.

(Chemists find path to 'new blue' in meteorite minerals, National Science Foundation)

A hormone involved in sleep regulatory activity, and a tryptophan-derived neurotransmitter, which inhibits the synthesis and secretion of other neurotransmitters such as dopamine and GABA.

(Melatonin, NCI Thesaurus)

The resulting decrease in prostaglandin synthesis, by prostaglandin synthase, is responsible for the therapeutic effects of mefenamic acid.

(Mefenamic Acid, NCI Thesaurus)

Melanin synthesis takes place within specialized intracellular organelles named melanosomes.

(Melanogenesis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)