Aderenze

Aderenze is the plural form of aderenza, an Italian noun meaning adhesion or adherence. In medical contexts, aderenze refers to fibrous bands that form between tissues or organs, most commonly intestinal adhesions that can develop after surgery, infection, or inflammation and may cause pain or obstruction. Beyond medicine, the word can describe adherence in a broader sense, such as compliance or attachment to rules, standards, or beliefs.

Etymology and form: aderenza comes from Latin adhaerentia, from adhaerere, meaning to cling to. The plural aderenze is used when discussing more than one adhesion or adherence instance. The related adjective aderente can mean adherent, sticky, or conforming, and aderenza can articulate the abstract notion of adherence.

Usage notes: In everyday Italian, aderenza (singular) is common for abstract adherence to norms or principles, while aderenze (plural) is typically reserved for multiple physical adhesions in medical or technical descriptions. In nonmedical writing, idiomatic expressions such as aderire to a code or to a belief are more often expressed with aderizione or aderente constructions rather than aderenze.

Examples: In medical Italian, “le aderenze intestinali” are fibrous adhesions of the intestine; in a nonmedical sense, “aderenza alle norme” means adherence to the standards, and “un individuo aderente ai principi” describes someone who strongly follows those principles.