association

[ uh-soh-see-ey-shuhn, -shee- ]

noun

1. an organization of people with a common purpose and having a formal structure.

   Synonyms: band, company, society, union, alliance

2. the act of associating or state of being associated.
3. friendship; companionship:

   Their close association did not last long.

   Synonyms: fellowship

4. connection or combination.
5. the connection or relation of ideas, feelings, sensations, etc.; correlation of elements of perception, reasoning, or the like.
6. an idea, image, feeling, etc., suggested by or connected with something other than itself; an accompanying thought, emotion, or the like; an overtone or connotation:

   My associations with that painting are of springlike days.

7. Ecology. a group of plants of one or more species living together under uniform environmental conditions and having a uniform and distinctive aspect.
8. Chemistry. a weak form of chemical bonding involving aggregation of molecules of the same compound.
9. touch football.
10. Astronomy. stellar association.

association

/ -ʃɪ-; əˌsəʊsɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. a group of people having a common purpose or interest; a society or club
2. the act of associating or the state of being associated
3. friendship or companionship

   their association will not last

4. a mental connection of ideas, feelings, or sensations

   association of revolution with bloodshed

5. See free association
   psychol the mental process of linking ideas so that the recurrence of one idea automatically recalls the other See also free association
6. chem the formation of groups of molecules and ions, esp in liquids, held together by weak chemical bonds
7. ecology a group of similar plants that grow in a uniform environment and contain one or more dominant species

association

/ ə-sō′sē-ā′shən,-shē- /

1. A large number of organisms in a specific geographic area constituting a community with one or two dominant species.

Other Words From

• as·soci·ation·al adjective
• inter·as·soci·ation noun
• nonas·soci·ation noun
• nonas·soci·ation·al adjective
• proas·soci·ation adjective
• pseudo·as·soci·ation·al adjective
• reas·soci·ation noun
• subas·soci·ation noun
• subas·soci·ation·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of association¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French, from Medieval Latin associātiōn-, stem of associātiō “accompaniment, unification”; equivalent to associate + -ion

Example Sentences

Because the virus affects the respiratory system, researchers have rushed to study the potential association between mortality rates and air pollution.

From ProPublica

The association of cannabis with crimes, and by extension social stigma, is actually an import from the US.

From Quartz

That means creating positive associations by putting it on and taking it off multiple times in a row while giving them treats, and buckling them in during meals and playtime.

From Popular-Science

“It’s the parenting groups, the school parents’ associations — people who would never usually talk about vaccines, but now they are absolutely engaged,” Johnson says.

From Ozy

In a May survey of 3,800 restaurants, the association found that 78% of operators who were selling alcohol to go had brought back laid-off employees, compared to 62% of operators overall.

From Fortune

Have you looked around the American Dental Association website for an explanation of how fluoridation actually works?

From The Daily Beast

The juxtaposition planted a story of association on websites that touted both men for their talks.

From The Daily Beast

The scheme has been condemned by civil liberties groups and queried by the National Association of Head Teachers.

From The Daily Beast

Delta is a Platinum Global Partner, ranking them among the highest-level contributors to the association.

From The Daily Beast

And so it is with the St. Louis Rams and the St. Louis Police Officers Association.

From The Daily Beast

"It is ill-fated;" and Alessandro blamed himself for having forgotten her only association with the name.

From Project Gutenberg

In the meanwhile, Planner grew actually enamoured of the Pantamorphica Association.

From Project Gutenberg

Governor Endicott, and other influential men in Massachusetts, formed an association against wearing long hair!

From Project Gutenberg

The Association itself was in the same condition—gone irrecoverably likewise.

From Project Gutenberg

Probably this is due to the long association of intellectuality and science with heresy.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• club
• company
• cooperative
• corporation
• federation
• guild
• league
• organization
• partnership
• society
• tribe
• union