(Chemistry, chiefly Brit.)the combining power of an element, especially as measured by the number of hydrogen atoms it can displace or combine with (化 主英)化合价。 比较valence carbon always has a valency of 4. 碳元素的化合价总是4。 ■(Linguistics)the number of grammatical elements with which a particular word, especially a verb, combines in a sentence (语言学)价
语源
early 17th cent.: from late Latin valentia 'power, competence', from valere 'be well or strong'