[ad. L. conglomerāt-us, pa. pple. of conglomerāre: see next.] A. adj.
1. Gathered together into a more or less rounded mass, or consisting of parts so gathered; clustered. Also fig. † a. as pa. pple. Obs.
1572. Bossewell, Armorie, II. 118 b. Certain trees … bring forth fruit conglomerate with leaues.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 267. The Beams of Light, when they are multiplied and conglomerate.
b. as adj. (In mod. use often fig. from 4.)
1836. Todd, Cycl. Anat., I. 246/1. [Insects] have conglomerate or compound eyes.
1871. Palgrave, Lyr. Poems, 113. This close conglomerate English speech.
1872. Liddon, Elem. Relig., ii. 42. All the positive religions in the world … are alike conglomerate formations.
2. Phys. Applied to glands of a compound or complex structure; formerly, as distinguished from the simple CONGLOBATE glands of the lymphatics.
1665–6. Phil. Trans., I. 177. Ibid. (1668), III. 889. Concerning the Liver … finding it to have Lobes and to be a Glandul of that kind, which by Anatomists are called Conglomerate.
1785. Anat. Dial. (ed. 2), 43. A conglomerate gland is that which is composed of several little conglobate glands, all tied up together, in one common tunicle or membrane.
1841–71. T. R. Jones, Anim. Kingd. (ed. 4), 695. In the cartilaginous fishes… the pancreas exhibits a more perfect development, and already presents the appearance of a conglomerate gland.
1882. Syd. Soc. Lex., Conglomerate glands, a synonym of Acinous glands.
3. Path. a. Applied to cartilaginous tumors in the neighborhood of the parotid gland. b. Applied to certain compound Tubercles.
1870. Sir J. Paget, Lect. Surg. Pathol. (ed. 3), 520, note. Mr. Cæsar Hawkins described them … as conglomerate tumours.
1876. trans. Ziemssen’s Cycl. Med., V. 641. The tubercles are often aggregated in groups (Virchow’s conglomerate tubercles).
4. Geol. Composed of the fragments of preexisting rocks cemented together; of the nature of or forming a conglomerate: see B. 1.
1813. Bakewell, Introd. Geol. (1815), 225. The debris of pre-existing rocks broken down and cemented together, as in various conglomerate rocks.
1872. Baker, Nile Tribut., xiii. 217. A perpendicular cliff of conglomerate rock formed of rounded pebbles cemented together. Ibid., xv. 253. A cliff of conglomerate pebbles.
B. sb. The adj. used absol. [Cf. mod.F. conglomérat.]
1. Geol. (= conglomerate rock.) A composite rock consisting of rounded and water-worn fragments of previously existing rocks, united into a compact mass by some kind of cement; often called pudding-stone. (Cf. BRECCIA.)
1818. W. Phillips, Outl. Min. & Geol. (1818), 145. When a sandstone contains rounded masses of considerable dimensions, it is termed a conglomerate.
1832. De la Beche, Geol. Man., 219. Conglomerates alternating with greenish sandstone and variously coloured marls.
1880. Haughton, Phys. Geog., v. 242. This shell conglomerate is largely burnt for lime.
attrib. 1846. M’Culloch, Acc. Brit. Empire (1854), I. 255. The conglomerate hills extend through Ross-shire.
b. transf.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xxx. (1856), 259. Thus, dried apples became … a conglomerate of sliced chalcedony. Ibid. (1856), Arct. Expl., I. xi. 116. A conglomerate of gravel and ice.
2. fig. A mixture of various materials or elements, clustered together without assimilation.
1837. Whewell, Hist. Induct. Sc. (1857), III. 399. The English language is a conglomerate of Latin words, bound together with a Saxon cement.
1864. Burton, Scot Abr., I. i. 57. In that immense conglomerate of useful and useless knowledge.
