noun
junction
JUNK-shuhn/ˈdʒʌŋkʃn/
A point where separate things join or meet.
The roads meet at a clear three-way junction.
Etymology
An “act of joining” became the place where things join. The place sense was first used for railroad tracks, a concrete example of separate lines coming together.
In context
Chicago became the central junction. The Union Stock Yard opened in 1865, linking several rail lines to an immense complex of pens, auction facilities, packing houses, and support businesses.
More examples
- We turned left at the next junction.
- A leak appeared at the pipe junction.
- Several junctions connected the network.
Forms
junction · junctions
Similar words
- intersection
- Intersection usually describes crossing routes.
- confluence
- Confluence especially describes streams or influences coming together.