cohaerent

Cohaerent is an archaic or historical spelling of the English adjective coherent. It appears in a minority of early modern English texts and in Latin-influenced writings, where the sense is the same as coherent: something that holds together, is cohesive, or is in logical or physical unity. In contemporary English, the standard spelling is coherent, and cohaerent is generally regarded as obsolete or restricted to philological or historical discussions.

Etymology: The form derives from Latin cohaerent-, cohaerens, the present participle of cohaerēre meaning “to cling together,” itself from com- “together” and haerēre “to cling.” The spelling variation reflects historical attempts to render Latin compounds into English orthography.

Usage: In dated works, cohaerent may describe a text, argument, or mechanism that remains in unity or harmony. In modern writing, it is rarely used outside quotation, scholarly apparatus, or discussions of linguistic history. For most readers, coherent and coherence are the preferred forms.

See also: coherent, coherence, coherency, cohere.

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