From Latin 'haerere' (to stick) — the same root produced 'hesitate,' literally 'to keepgetting stuck.'
Definition
To stick firmly to a surface or substance; to remain faithful to a belief, rule, or course of action.
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Latin1590swell-attested
From Latin 'adhaerēre' meaning 'to stick to, cling to,' composed of the prefix 'ad-' (to, toward) and 'haerēre' (to stick, to cling, to be attached). The verb 'haerēre' connects plausibly to PIE *ghais- (to stick, to adhere), a root whose reflexes include Old High German 'gīsala' (hostage — someone held fast by obligation). The physical sense — glue, burrs, barnaclesclinging to a surface — was the original; the figurative sense of intellectual or moral adherence to a cause or principle emerged in early 17th-century English. The prefix 'ad-' (to,
Did you know?
The same Latin root 'haerēre' gives us 'hesitate' — from 'haesitāre,' a frequentative form meaning 'to stick repeatedly,' hence 'to get stuck' in speech or action. Being 'adhesive' and being 'hesitant' are etymologically the same thing: sticking.
adhesion(English (same Latin root, 1620s))cohesion(English (Latin co-haerere, sticking together))hesitate(English (Latin haesitare, to keep sticking))adherer(French (adherer, same Latin root))aderire(Italian (same Latin root))adherir(Spanish (same Latin root))