Link Centre Dictionary

cluster

clus·ter

UK/ˈklʌstə/ US/ˈklʌstɚ/ fairly common slang us
noun (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

a grouping of a number of similar things

  • “a bunch of trees”
  • “a cluster of admirers”
Synonyms

verb

1.

come together as in a cluster or flock

  • “The poets constellate in this town every summer”
Synonyms
2.

gather or cause to gather into a cluster

  • “She bunched her fingers into a fist”
  • “The students bunched up at the registration desk”
Synonyms

Origin

The noun is derived from Middle English cluster (“bunch, cluster, spray; compact body or mass, ball”) [and other forms], from Old English cluster, clyster (“cluster, bunch, branch”), from Proto-Germanic *klas-, *klus- (“to clump, lump together”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up; to clench; to amass”)) + *-þrą (suffix forming nouns denoting an instrument or tool). The English word is probably a doublet of clot. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Dutch klister (“cluster”) (dialectal) * Icelandic klasi (“cluster; bunch of grapes”) * Low German Kluuster (“cluster”) * Swedish kluster (“cluster”)

Phrases

  • Beowulf cluster
  • Chevrel cluster
  • cluster A personality disorder
  • cluster B personality disorder
  • cluster ballooning
  • cluster bean
  • cluster bomb
  • cluster chord

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.