junction

From Latin iūnctiō (“union, joining, uniting”), from iungō (“join, attach together”). Equivalent to join +‎ -tion.

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒʌŋkʃən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌŋkʃən

junction (plural junctions)

1. The act of joining, or the state of being joined.
2. A place where two things meet, especially where two roads meet.
3. (rail transport) A place where two or more railways or railroads meet.
   • 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 66:

     In the mid-1930s, when Stalin was looking to make a statement with his new Metro, he consulted Underground engineers, who offered advice to the Russian Minister in charge of the Metro project, Nikita Khrushchev. He was severely told: 'Don't have a Circle Line - too many flat junctions.' Moscow did build a circle line, but with flying junctions, by which one track goes over another.

4. The boundary between two physically different materials, especially between conductors, semiconductors, or metals.
5. (nautical) The place where a distributary departs from the main stream.
6. (radio, television) A point in time between two unrelated consecutive broadcasts.
   • 2007, Gary Hudson, Sarah Rowlands, The Broadcast Journalism Handbook, page 336:

     Even rolling news has junctions to meet - headlines on the hour or half-hour, or links to live events, for example.

   • 2010, Peter Stewart, Essential Radio Skills: How to Present a Radio Show:

     Try to avoid becoming too predictable or repetitive, particularly at regular junctions.

7. (computing, Microsoft Windows) A kind of symbolic link to a directory.
8. (programming) In the Raku programming language, a construct representing a composite of several values connected by an operator.
9. (electronics) electrical junction: a point or area where multiple conductors or semiconductors make physical contact.

• See Thesaurus:junction

• See Thesaurus:junction

• → Bengali: জংশন (joṅśon)
• → Japanese: ジャンクション

• crossroad
• intersection
• juncture

junction (third-person singular simple present junctions, present participle junctioning, simple past and past participle junctioned)

1. (of roads or tracks) To form a junction.