arch. Also 7 adhærency. [ad. L. adhærentia, n. of action and state, f. adhærent-em pr. pple. of adhærē-re: see ADHERE and -NCY.]
1. The quality or state of being adherent; companionship; attachedness.
1647. Jer. Taylor, Lib. Prophes., xviii. 235. By vertue of its adherency and remanency in their flesh; it did that work.
1692. Beverley, Concil. Disc., 8. Christ … bare as deep a share of adherency in our sin, as could consist with an unspotted Purity from any inherency of sin in himself.
1820. Coleridge, Lett. Convers. &c., I. viii. 51. The passions of the adherency to the former [the Stuarts], if not the adherency itself, [was] extant in our own fathers’ or our grandfathers’ times.
† 2. That which is adherent; adhering matter or circumstance. Cf. L. adhærentia. Obs.
1608. Topsell, Serpents, 748. Not lana, wooll, but lamygo [? lanugo], that is, a vapoury adhærency of a thing which flyeth from the strokes of hammers upon hot burning iron.
1657. T. Reeve, God’s Plea, 30. The compleatest actions of men have an adhærency of evill cleaving to them.
1681. Whole Duty of Nations, 60. The reputation of Religion … often suffers by those unnecessary adherencies.
† 3. An adhering party; a following. Obs.
1582–8. Hist. James VI. (1804). Not againes the Lords … or onie of thair adherencis in this laitt actioun.
1633. Bp. Hall, Hard Texts, 399. A great part of the Romane adherencie shall fall off from her.
1662. H. Stubbe, Indian Nectar, 4. The late changes in our Nation have disengaged me from my former adherencies.
