Etymologically
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convergence

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:26. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /kənˈvɜːd͡ʒəns/, /kɒnˈvɜːd͡ʒəns/[1]
  • US: /kənˈvɝd͡ʒəns/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English convergent + -ence,[2][3][4] though Etymonline and Klein derive it from the verb converge with the same suffix.[5][6] convergent comes from the present participle of Late Latin convergō (“to incline together”),[2] a verb first found in Isidore,[2] formed from com- (“with, together”) and vergō (“to bend, turn, incline”).[2][5][7] Etymonline and the American Heritage Dictionary trace the Latin verb to Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to turn, bend”).[5][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action or fact of converging, movement toward a single point: 1713, in W. Derham's Physico-Theology.[2][5][8]

Semantic evolution

The word began as a term of geometry and physics for lines or movements meeting in a point,[2] and was soon used of the degree or point of convergence itself (1855).[2] The figurative sense, a coming together of operations or effects, is recorded from 1843, in Gladstone.[2] In mathematics it was used of convergent series from 1858,[2] and in biology, from Darwin's third edition of the Origin of Species (1861), for the tendency of unrelated plants and animals to develop similar features under similar conditions;[2] Etymonline dates this biological use to 1866.[5] Meteorology (1906) and oceanography (1933) gave it senses for converging winds and currents,[2] and in 1958 economists named a theory that all social and economic systems tend toward similar patterns, now little held.[2] Since 1978 it has also meant the merging of once separate technologies, such as telephones, computers and television, into combined devices.[2][9]

Timeline

  • 1713 – movement toward a single point.[2][8]
  • 1843 – figurative, a coming together of effects or opinions.[2]
  • 1855 – the degree or point of convergence.[2]
  • 1858 – mathematics, of convergent series.[2]
  • 1861 – biology, the development of similar features in unrelated organisms.[2]
  • 1906 – meteorology, the gathering of air where winds converge.[2]
  • 1933 – oceanography, a region where currents meet.[2]
  • 1978 – the merging of different technologies.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act or condition of converging; movement toward union or uniformity: the convergence of the two rivers.[8][10][9]
  2. The point at which things converge; a meeting place.[10][9]
  3. A coming together of opinions, results or interests; concurrence.[9][2]
  4. (mathematics) The property of approaching a finite limit, especially of an infinite series.[9][10][2]
  5. The coordinated turning of the eyes inward to focus on a near object.[10][11]
  6. (biology) The independent development of similar features in unrelated organisms, also called convergent evolution.[10][11][2]
  7. The combining of different forms of electronic technology in one system or device.[9][2]

Word family

  • nonconvergence
  • reconvergence
  • Antarctic convergence
  • radius of convergence

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  8. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ a b c d e f Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  10. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  11. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster