Polyvalent

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Polyvalent is a synonym for multivalent and denotes something which has many values, meanings or appeals. The metaphoric origin of ~valent is derived from valency in chemistry and by metaphoric attribution, may now connote a "subtle, polyvalent allegory". In chemistry the terms polyvalent or multivalent can be used to refer to species which are not univalent or monovalent. For example, the Cs+ cation is a univalent or monovalent cation, whereas the Ca++ cation is a divalent or polyvalent or multivalent cation and the Fe+++ cation is a trivalent or polyvalent or multivalent cation. As a result, examples of polyvalent cations include the Ca++ cation and the Fe+++ cation. {References: Since 1976, there have been 21,637 US patents issued that employ the terms polyvalent or poly-valent in connection with concepts like polyvalent cations and polyvalent ligands as disclosed above <http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&S1=((polyvalent+OR+%22poly-valent%22).BSUM.+or+(polyvalent+OR+%22poly-valent%22).DETD.+or+(polyvalent+OR+%22poly-valent%22).DRWD.)&OS=spec/(polyvalent+or+"poly-valent")&RS=SPEC/(polyvalent+OR+"poly-valent")>. US Patent 7,375,234 is one example of these 21,637 recent US patents.}

Specific uses may refer to:

• Polysemy
• Polyvalent vaccine, a vaccine that can vaccinate a person against more than one strain of a disease
• Antivenins are classified as polyvalent when they are effective against a range of species, or several different species at the same time