Agglomeration

noun

/əˌɡlɒməˈɹeɪʃən/

The clustering or concentration of industries and economic activities in a particular area, which reduces shared costs through common infrastructure, a pooled labour market, and proximity to ancillary services.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The unchecked agglomeration of population and industry in a handful of metropolitan centres has widened regional disparities, underscoring the need for counter-magnet cities and balanced spatial planning under India's urbanisation strategy.

Synonyms

conglomerationclusteraccumulationaggregationmassassemblage

Antonyms

dispersalscatteringfragmentationdissolution

🌱 Word Family

agglomerate (v/n/adj), agglomerated (adj), agglomerating (v pres.p), agglomerative (adj)

🔡 Root

Latin ad- = to + glomus = ball of yarn → glomerare = to wind in a ball → agglomerare = to mass

📜 Etymology

From Latin agglomerare ("to wind or add onto a ball"), from ad ("to") + glomerare ("to wind up in a ball"), from glomus ("ball of yarn"); first recorded in English in the 1660s.

🧠 Memory Hook

Root hook: Latin glomus = 'ball of yarn' — things "glommed" together into one big ball. Picture villages rolling into a city like yarn winding onto a ball: an urban agglomeration.

🌍 Geography 📖 Seen in: Industries & Location Factors — Econom...

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