1. plural of catenation; a series of things linked or connected together in a chain
Usage: formal; often used in technical or scientific contexts
2. in chemistry, the bonding of atoms of the same element (especially carbon) to form chains or rings
Usage: technical; chemistry

Examples

• The catenations of historical events led to the modern world.
• Carbon's ability to form catenations makes organic chemistry possible.
• The catenations of supply chains can be disrupted by a single failure.
• Molecular catenations create complex three-dimensional structures.
• The catenations of cause and effect are often difficult to trace.
• In linguistics, catenations of sounds form meaningful words.