Cohesive, a.
1. Holding the particles of a homogeneous body together; as, cohesive attraction; producing cohesion; as, a cohesive force.
2. Cohering, or sticking together, as in a mass; capable of cohering; tending to cohere; as, cohesive clay. Cohesive attraction. See under Attraction. -- Co*he"sive*ly, adv. -- Co*he"sive*ness, n.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for cohesive; he lists it under adhesive.
Where he writes about it:
That which is adhesive tends to join itself to the surface of any other body with which it is placed in contact; cohesive expresses the tendency of particles of the same substance to hold together. — from adhesive
Polished plate glass is not adhesive, but such plates packed together are intensely cohesive. — from adhesive