clustering
clustering — noun
1. a set of similar things, people, or events that are located or happen close to o
a set of similar things, people, or events that are located or happen close to one another, often forming a noticeable pattern.
A clustering of small cafés has appeared along the riverside walk in Élise's neighbourhood.
a clustering of + [plural noun]
The map showed a strange clustering of dropped phone calls around the old radio tower.
clustering of [events] around [location]
Kabir noticed a clustering of bright red berries on one branch of the holly tree.
There was a thick clustering of weekend bookings between Friday night and Sunday morning.
Researchers studied the clustering of new bakeries in the quiet streets north of the river.
- grouping
more neutral; used for any kind of arrangement, not only spontaneous gathering
- cluster
the result viewed as a single unit; 'clustering' emphasises the pattern of formation
- concentration
stresses density at one spot rather than several items grouped together
- dispersal
opposite process: items spreading out rather than gathering
文法句型
a clustering of [noun]
the clustering of [nouns]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a plural noun describing the items that group together; the prepositional phrase 'of X' is almost always present.
常見錯誤
2. a higher than expected number of cases of an illness happening in one area, grou
a higher than expected number of cases of an illness happening in one area, group of people, or short period of time.
Health officials studied the clustering of asthma cases near the old factory in Caio's town.
medical context: clustering of [disease] cases near [place]
Doctors reported an unusual clustering of food poisoning among guests at one wedding in Amira's village.
clustering among [defined group]
The study found a clear clustering of skin rashes among workers who handled the new dye.
Geographic clustering of the rare lung disease peaked within three streets of the chemical plant.
- outbreak
implies sudden spread; clustering only describes the statistical pattern
- incidence pattern
more technical; preferred in epidemiology papers
文法句型
clustering of [disease/cases]
geographic clustering of [disease]
用法筆記
Used by epidemiologists and public-health writers; almost always followed by 'of [disease name or symptom]' and a place or group reference. Distinguish from sense 1 by the medical-investigation context.
3. the practice of linking several computers so that they work together as one larg
the practice of linking several computers so that they work together as one larger system, sharing tasks and backing each other up if one fails.
Hyun set up server clustering so the website would stay online even if one machine crashed.
server clustering for [purpose: reliability]
The bank uses database clustering to handle millions of card payments every hour without slowing down.
database clustering for [high traffic]
Beatrix explained that clustering lets four small servers share the workload of one large one.
Without clustering, the entire booking system would freeze whenever traffic spiked on Friday evenings.
- load balancing
related but narrower: balancing covers traffic distribution; clustering covers the whole shared-system setup
- high availability
names the goal that clustering helps achieve
- single-server setup
the opposite design: one machine, no shared workload
文法句型
server clustering
database clustering
用法筆記
Common collocates: 'server clustering', 'database clustering', 'high-availability clustering'. Subject is usually an IT team or system; rarely used outside technical writing.
4. the way stars or galaxies appear to gather in groups in the night sky because gr
the way stars or galaxies appear to gather in groups in the night sky because gravity pulls them toward one another.
Imani showed her class photos of strange clustering of young stars near the galaxy centre.
clustering of [stars/galaxies]
Galaxy clustering tells astronomers a great deal about how the early universe was shaped.
galaxy clustering
The new telescope captured tight clustering of distant galaxies far beyond what older lenses could see.
Hamza wrote his thesis on the clustering of red stars in the Milky Way's outer halo.
- grouping
more general; used outside astronomy as well
文法句型
clustering of [stars/galaxies]
galaxy clustering
用法筆記
Domain term in astronomy and cosmology; almost always with 'galaxy', 'star', or a named region of the sky. Distinguish from sense 1 by the celestial subject.
5. in linguistics, the appearance of two or more consonant or vowel sounds next to
in linguistics, the appearance of two or more consonant or vowel sounds next to each other inside one syllable, with no vowel in between for consonants.
Defne studied how consonant clustering at the start of English words like 'street' challenges new learners.
consonant clustering at the start of [word]
The textbook used 'sixths' as a famous example of heavy consonant clustering at word-end.
heavy consonant clustering
Vowel clustering across syllables can change how a word sounds in fast everyday speech.
Jude noticed that Italian allows much less consonant clustering than Polish or German does.
- consonant cluster
names the result (a single cluster); 'clustering' is the broader phenomenon across many words
文法句型
consonant clustering
vowel clustering
用法筆記
Specialist linguistics term; almost always 'consonant clustering' or 'vowel clustering'. Subject is the sound pattern itself or the language that permits it.
6. the practice of building several houses or other structures close together on on
the practice of building several houses or other structures close together on one piece of land so that the open space around them can be shared.
Christopher's design used clustering of small houses to leave a large meadow for children's play.
clustering of [small houses] to preserve [open space]
The new village plan favours clustering of homes around a central garden, not long single rows.
clustering of homes around [shared feature]
Eli argued that clustering of cabins near the lake would keep most of the forest untouched.
Town planners praised the clustering of new homes for protecting the wooded ridge above.
- cluster development
the formal name for this planning approach
- sprawl
the opposite pattern: buildings spread thinly across a large area
文法句型
clustering of [buildings/houses]
用法筆記
Planning and architecture term; the contrast is between clustering and spreading individual houses across a wide site. Often followed by a purpose phrase ('to preserve…', 'around…').
clustering — verb
1. the act of similar people or things gathering close together, often around someo
the act of similar people or things gathering close together, often around someone or something, or making a group form in this way.
A small crowd was clustering around Jack as he opened his birthday gifts in the garden.
clustering around + [person]
Tiny silver fish were clustering near the warm pipe at the side of the harbour.
clustering near + [place]
Reporters kept clustering at the courtroom door, hoping to catch a word from the lawyer.
The students were clustering together by the heater because the classroom was freezing cold.
Reviews of the new restaurant were clustering around three or four stars rather than spreading evenly.
- scattering
items moving apart in different directions
文法句型
clustering around [person/thing]
clustering together
clustering near [place]
用法筆記
Used as the present participle of 'cluster'; common in descriptive writing about crowds, animals, and data. Often followed by 'around', 'near', 'at', or 'together'.