combine

I. verb (combined; combining) Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French combiner, from Late Latin combinare, from Latin com- + bini two by two — more at bin- Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. a. to bring into such close relationship as to obscure individual characters ; merge <

two companies combining forces

> b. to cause to unite into a chemical compound c. to unite into a single number or expression <

combine fractions and simplify

> 2. intermix, blend <

combine the sugar and flour

> 3. to possess in combination <

a writer whose works combine imagination and scholarship

> intransitive verb 1. a. to become one b. to unite to form a chemical compound 2. to act together <

many factors combined to cause the recession

> Synonyms: see join • combinable adjective • combiner noun II. noun Date: 1886 1. a combination especially of business or political interests 2. a harvesting machine that heads, threshes, and cleans grain while moving over a field III. verb (combined; combining) Date: 1926 transitive verb to harvest with a combine intransitive verb to combine a crop