Fusion

How to spell fusion

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce fusion

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does fusion mean?

1. nounThe process or result of joining two or more distinct things into a single combined whole.

Fusion in a sentence

• The restaurant is known for its fusion of Thai and Italian flavours.

• The new engine relies on the fusion of two hydrogen atoms to release energy.

Where does fusion come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb fundere, meaning 'to pour' or 'to melt', whose past participle was fusus. From that came the Latin noun fusio, describing the act of pouring out or melting down, especially of metals. English picked up 'fusion' in the early 1500s, first in the technical sense of melting solids together by heat, and the meaning then broadened to cover any blending of separate things into one. The same fundere root quietly sits inside a surprising family of English words, including 'refund', 'confound', and 'foundry', all of which carry a hint of pouring or melting. The spelling trap is the soft 'zh' sound in the middle, which is written 'si' rather than a 'z', a pattern inherited straight from the Latin -sio ending.

How the word is built

• fus- (from Latin fundere, fusus: to pour, to melt)
• -ion (noun suffix forming the act or result)