valence

1. Chemistry.
1. The combining capacity of an atom or radical determined by the number of electrons that it will lose, add, or share when it reacts with other atoms.
2. A positive or negative integer used to represent this capacity: The valences of copper are 1 and 2.
2. The number of binding sites of a molecule, such as an antibody or antigen.
3. The ability of a substance to interact with another or to produce an effect.
4. Psychology. The degree of attraction or aversion that an individual feels toward a specific object or event.
5. Linguistics. The number of arguments that a lexical item, especially a verb, can combine with to make a syntactically well-formed sentence, often along with a description of the categories of those constituents. Intransitive verbs (appear, arrive) have a valence of onethe subject; some transitive verbs (paint, touch), twothe subject and direct object; other transitive verbs (ask, give), threethe subject, direct object, and indirect object.
6. The capacity of something to unite, react, or interact with something else: “I do not claim to know much more about novels than the writing of them, but I cannot imagine one set in the breathing world which lacks any moral valence” (Robert Stone).