synthesize

Synthesize is a verb meaning to combine separate components or ideas to form a connected whole, or to produce a substance by chemical, biological, or artificial means. In science, synthesis often refers to constructing complex compounds from simpler starting materials.

Etymology: the word derives from Greek syn- meaning together and thesis meaning placing, via Latin synthesize and French synthétiser. The noun synthesis denotes the resulting composite or the process of combining.

In chemistry, synthesis describes laboratory routes to assemble substances, such as the total synthesis of natural products. In biology, protein synthesis refers to translating genetic information into polypeptides by ribosomes; DNA transcription and translation are steps in gene expression that lead to synthesis of proteins. In data science, data synthesis or synthetic data is generated to simulate real data for testing or privacy. In audio and computer music, synthesis is the creation of sound electronically, using oscillators, filters, and envelopes. In philosophy and critical theory, synthesis is the reconciliation of opposing ideas into a higher-level unity; in dialectics it contrasts with analysis.

See also: synthesis (disambiguation), synthetic.