cluster

A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.

Noun

  1. A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
    • a cluster of islands
    • A cluster of flowers grew in the pot.
    • Her deeds vvere like great gluſters of ripe grapes, / VVhich load the bunches of the fruitfull vine: / Offring to fall into each mouth that gapes, / And fill the ſame vvith ſtore of timely vvine. - 1595, Ed. Spencer...

    1. (astronomy) A group of galaxies, nebulae, or stars that appear to the naked eye to be near each other.

      • The Pleiades cluster contains seven bright stars.
      • My fellow biotic: You have been selected to receive this transmission because of our shared plight. Few understand us, fewer tolerate us. We must stand together. We must build our own new world. Come. Join us in the...

      Synonyms: galaxy cluster star cluster

      Hyponyms: globular cluster open cluster

    2. (physical chemistry) An ensemble of bound atoms (especially of a metal) or molecules, intermediate in size between a molecule and a bulk solid.

    3. (computing) A group of computers that work together.

      • A computer cluster is a collection of two or more computers used to execute a given problem or section. Typically, in a computer cluster, the interconnection network tying the computers together is a local area network...

    4. (computing) A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors (see block (noun)).

    5. (epidemiology) A group of cases of the same disease occurring around the same place or time.

      • A leukemia cluster has developed in the town.

    6. (linguistics) Synonym of lexical bundle (“a sequence of two or more words that occur in a language with high frequency but are not idiomatic”).

      • examples of clusters would include in accordance with, so far, and the results of

      Synonyms: bundle chunk lexical bundle

    7. (military) A set of bombs or mines released as part of the same blast.

    8. (military) (US) In full oak leaf cluster: a small bronze or silver device shaped like a twig of oak leaves and acorns which is worn on a ribbon to indicate that the wearer has been conferred the same award or decoration before; an oakleaf.

    9. (music) A secundal chord of three or more notes.

    10. (phonetics) A pronounceable group of consonants that occur together: a consonant cluster.

      • The word scrub begins with a cluster of three consonants.

    11. (statistics) In cluster analysis: a subset of a population whose members are similar enough to each other and distinct from others as to be considered a separate group; also, such a grouping in a set of observed data that is statistically significant.

  2. A number of individuals (animals or people) collected in one place or grouped together; a crowd, a mob, a swarm.
    • VVe lou'd him, / But like Beaſts / And Covvardly Nobles, / Gaue vvay vnto your Cluſters, vvho did hoote / Him out o' th' Citty. - c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr....
    • [T]hey all alight, and then they go to the ſecond gate, and if peraduenture they cannot get in, they ſit there vvithout, as Bees doe in the Sunne, all in a cluſter. - 1625, [Samuel] Purchas, “The Voyage of Sir Francis...
    • As Bees / In ſpring time, when the Sun with Taurus rides, / Poure forth their populous youth about the Hive / In cluſters; they among freſh dews and flowers / Flie to and fro, […] - 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in...
  3. Euphemistic form of clusterfuck (“a chaotic situation where everything seems to go wrong”).

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”)

Forms

clusters

Derived

Beowulf cluster bicluster Chevrel cluster cluster A personality disorder cluster-ball clusterball cluster ballooning cluster bomb cluster B personality disorder clustercentric cluster chord cluster compound clustercore cluster C personality disorder cluster development cluster F-bomb cluster feeding cluster fig cluster fly cluster-fuck cluster fuck clusterful clustergram clusterhead

Verb

  1. To collect (animals, people, objects, data points, etc) into clusters (noun sense 1).
    • The consciousness of such an action will give her features a nobler life on this illustrious day, than all the jewels that can hang in her hair or can be clustered in her bosom. - 1712 February 16 (Gregorian calendar),...
    • Not less the bee would range her cells, / The furzy prickle fire the dells, / The foxglove cluster dappled bells. - 1833–1834 (date written), Alfred Tennyson, “The Two Voices”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward...
    • The queen-bee of the children-swarm, the wise little Louise, sate herself down at the window, and four other little heads clustered themselves about her, fervent and inquisitive, and almost pushing her away in their...
  2. To cover (with clusters); to scatter or strew in clusters (within); to distribute (objects) within such that they form clusters.
    • The sea is clustered with islands.
  3. To form a cluster or group; to assemble, to gather.
    • The children clustered around the puppy.
    • [T]he fruite cluſtereth togyther lyke to ſmal grapes, which in the beginning is greene, and afterwarde when it is ripe, al blacke. - 1578, Rembert Dodoens, “Of Brionie”, in Henry Lyte, transl., A Niewe Herball, or...
    • VVoes cluſter; rare are ſolitary VVoes; / They love a Train; they tread each other's Heel: […] - 1742, [Edward Young], “Night the Third. Narcissa. […]”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, &...

Forms

clusters clustering clustered no-table-tags glossary cluster clusterest clusteredst clustereth -

Synonyms

constellate

Derived

clusterability clusterable clustered clusterer clustering miscluster recluster