Ad*her"ence (&?;), n.
[Cf. F. adhérence, LL.
adhaerentia.]
1. The quality or state of adhering.
2. The state of being fixed in attachment; fidelity; steady attachment; adhesion; as, adherence to a party or to opinions.
Syn. -- Adherence,
Adhesion. These
words, which were once freely interchanged, are now almost entirely separated.
Adherence is no longer used to denote physical union, but is applied, to mental states or habits; as, a strict adherence to one's duty; close adherence to the argument, etc. Adhesion is now confined chiefly to the physical sense, except in the
phrase "To give in one's adhesion to a cause or a party."
Hear it pronounced