These words all refer tot he bringing or coming together of several different elements to form a whole. Unite , stemming from Latin unus , meaning one, emphasizes the completeness of the process and the singleness of the resulting entity: to unite forces to overcome a common enemy; to unite two families in marriage. Combine means to bring together into close union; it is more general in application than unite , and does not emphasize so strongly the completeness of the process of coming together; to combine military forces, for example, would not exclude the possibility of each force’s retaining a separate command, but to unite forces would imply the formation of a single force under one command. Combine is used in a wide variety of contexts.

• To succeed as an artist one must combine talent and discipline; To get grey, one combines black and white.

Thus combine may suggest mixing or compounding, a connotation lacking in unite . Blend , even more strongly than combine , suggests a mingling of different elements; unlike combine , it specifically refers to the obscuring or harmonizing of the various components: to blend modern and medieval architecture; to blend oil and vinegar to make a salad dressing. Merge , like blend , suggests the loss of separate identity of ingredients, but does not imply the physical act of mixing or mingling together different elements: The two road-transport companies merged to cut costs.

Join , the broadest term of this group, can mean to become part of, to bring together or connect, or to put together in close contact: The path joins the road; to join two wire; to join hands. Fuse means to join by, or as if by, melting together, joined wires might be attached with solder or by simply being intertwined. Fuse in other contexts implies a solid, lasting connection: The feeling of persecution and a sense of defeat became fused in his mind. Knit and coalesce suggest a gradual or natural growing or coming together, as the segments of a broken bone.

• The operation set the bones in position to knit ; The sections of a baby’s skull are not fully joined , but coalesce after few years.

In extended senses coalesce suggests two separate courses that gradually merge into one: The two political parties agreed to coalesce , since their objectives were basically the same.

Knit also suggests the formation of a union between separate elements in the same way that wool or yarn is interloped to form a strong fabric. When used adjectivally with an appropriate qualifying adverb, it can refer to a person or thing whose elements are firmly but together or are cohesive: a well-knit gymnast; a well-knit composition, a tall man with a loosely knit but powerful frame. It is often applied to groups of people united in aims, interests or loyalties: a closely knit family; a tightly knit underwater team, wary of outsiders?interests in their explorations for old wrecks.