synergy en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈsɪnəd͡ʒi/ (UK)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈsɪnəd͡ʒi/ (Australia)
- /ˈsɪnəɹd͡ʒi/ (Canada, General-American)
- sĭnʹər-jē (Canada, General-American)
- /ˈsənəd͡ʒi/ (New-Zealand)
Etymology
From Ancient Greek συνεργία (sunergía, “cooperation”), from σύν (sún, “with, together”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”). By surface analysis, syn- + -ergy.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) A synonym of binding energy.
In short, synergy is the consequence of the energy expended in creating order. It is locked up in the viable system created, be it an organism or a social system. It is at the level of the system. It is not discernible at the level of the system. It is not discernible at the level of the system's components. Whenever the system is dismembered to examine its components, this binding energy dissipates. An ordered library offers systemic possibilities, such as rapid search, selection, and aggregation, that cannot be explained by looking at the books themselves. These possibilities only exist because of the investment made in defining and creating interrelations between the books, their physical arrangement and the catalogues.
2009, J.-C. Spender, “Organizational Knowledge, Collective Practice and Penrose Rents”, in Michael H. Zack, editor, Knowledge and Strategy, Routledge, page 125:Depending on the initial condition of the system (initial alphabet and number of elements) the co-evolution of nested local and global hierarchies continues until the system reaches a maximum value of complexity. At least for nuclear systems a quantitative variable called "complexity" can be defined, which increases in an irreversible manner during stellar evolution (Winiwarter, 1983). This variable C is composed of an informational measure I describing the variety of the computed formulas and an energetic measure R describing the relative binding energy or "synergy" permitting the coherence of the system.
1986, John Andrew Dillon (Society for General Systems Research). Proceedings of the International Conference on Mental Images, Values, & Reality. Vol. 1, Intersystems Publications, p. D-7
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(countable, uncountable) The cooperation of two or more nerves, muscles, organs, etc.
the digestive synergy
- (countable, uncountable) The combined action of two or more drugs where the effects are stronger than their mere sum.
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(countable, figuratively, uncountable) Benefits resulting from combining different groups, people, objects or processes.
Remember the eastern leg of HS2 being lopped back to the East Midlands? To this Yorkshireman, this was a tragedy. It removed the umbilical cord designed to connect and bind together the modern advanced manufacturing corridor of England (West Midlands-East Midlands-the reborn Sheffield-Leeds-Teesside-Tyneside), helping it to be capable of competing internationally through the synergy of skills and skilled people.
2024 February 7, Andrew McNaughton, “HS2: a truncated route cuts off city lifelines”, in RAIL, number 1002, page 47:Others argued that the notion of a targeted war on a particular disease inevitably distracted from natural synergies with other areas of research.
2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies, Fourth Estate (2011), page 187:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| synergies | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
antisynergy · asynergy · dysergia · dysergy
Deriveds
Relateds
synergizer · synergic · monergism · synergical · synergisation · synergetical · synergously · synergism · synergist · synergising · synergistic · synergised · synergization · synergize · synergizing · synergous · synergise · energy · synergetic · synergistical · synergically · synergetically · synergiser · synergistically · synergized · monergy
Synonyms
Translations (67)
fy synerzjy (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · el συνεργία (medicine: combined action) · gl sinerxía (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ko 상승효과 (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · mk еднодејствие (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · it sinergia (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · hu szinergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · is samvirkni (medicine: combined action) · fi yhteisvaikutus (medicine: combined action) · id sinergi (medicine: combined action) · ca sinergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · da synergi (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · de Zusammenwirken (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · fr synergie (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ar تَعَاضُد (medicine: combined action) · it sinergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · fi yhteisvaikutus (pharmacology: interaction between drugs) · sk synergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ro sinergie (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · af sinergie (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · fr synergie (medicine: combined action) · sc sinergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · bg синергия (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · la synergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · id sinergi (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · de gegenseitige Verstärkung (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · nb synergi (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · el συνεργία (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · ar تَعَاضُد (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · ko 시너지 (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · fr synergie (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · pt sinergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · sv synergi (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · bg синергия (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · de Synergie (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ca sinergia (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · nl synergie (medicine: combined action) · eo sinergio (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ca sinergia (medicine: combined action) · id sinergi (pharmacology: interaction between drugs) · ja 相乗効果 (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · sc sinergìa (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · cmn 協同效應 /协同效应 (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · de Synergie (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · co sinergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · nl synergie (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · oc sinergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ko 시너지 (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · el σύμπραξη (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · fi synergismi (pharmacology: interaction between drugs) · nl synergie (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · ca sinergia (pharmacology: interaction between drugs) · ja シナジー (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · no synergi (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · co sinerghja (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ru синерги́я (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ja 相乗効果 (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · fi synergia (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · mk синергија (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ar تآزر (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · ja シナジー (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · es sinergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · la synergia (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · ko 상승효과 (benefits from combining different groups, people, objects or processes) · fi synergia (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · nn synergi (behavior of a system that cannot be predicted by the behavior of its parts) · de Synergie (pharmacology: interaction between drugs)