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

/ əˌsəʊsɪˈeɪʃən, -ʃɪ- /

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. 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

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

Other Word Forms

• associational adjective
• interassociation noun
• nonassociation noun
• nonassociational adjective
• proassociation adjective
• pseudoassociational adjective
• reassociation noun
• subassociation noun
• subassociational 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

When Escobar later escaped, pressure was put on his known acquaintances to help track him down - Higuita would end up copping a harsh punishment for his high-profile association with the notorious criminal.

From BBC

For instance, one major US seafood trade association has called for a tariff exemption, highlighting that the US seafood market is dominated by imports and American waters are already overfished.

From BBC

California, not surprisingly, isn’t high on the association’s list of states projected to enjoy the biggest growth in the sector over the next decade.

From Los Angeles Times

"I have housing associations that when they have a vacant property, signs are being put on the windows of those properties saying 'locals only'."

From BBC

Earlier this week the world's leading association of genocide scholars declared that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

From BBC

Related Words

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