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What is "polysynthesis"

The Collaborative International Dictionary
Polysynthesis

Polysynthesis \Pol`y*syn"the*sis\, n. [Poly- + synthesis.]

  1. The act or process of combining many separate elements into a whole.

  2. (Philol.) The formation of a word by the combination of several simple words, as in the aboriginal languages of America; agglutination.
    --Latham.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
polysynthesis

1837, from poly- + synthesis.

Wiktionary
polysynthesis

n. 1 The act or process of combine many separate elements into a whole. 2 (context linguistics English) The formation of a word by the combination of several simple words; agglutination.

Usage examples of "polysynthesis".

Max Mueller goes further, and asserts that what is called the process of agglutination in the Turanian languages is the same as what has been named polysynthesis in America.