association

[uh-soh-see-ey-shuh n, -shee-] /əˌsoʊ siˈeɪ ʃən, -ʃi-/
noun
1.
an organization of people with a common purpose and having a formal structure.
2.
the act of associating or state of being associated.
3.
friendship; companionship:
Their close association did not last long.
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.
Origin
1525-35; (< Middle French) < Medieval Latin associātiōn- (stem of associātiō). See associate, -ion
Related forms
associational, adjective
interassociation, noun
nonassociation, noun
nonassociational, adjective
proassociation, adjective
pseudoassociational, adjective
reassociation, noun
subassociation, noun
subassociational, adjective
Synonyms
1. alliance, union; society, company; band. 3. fellowship.
British Dictionary definitions for 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
Word Origin and History for association
n.

1530s, "action of coming together," from Medieval Latin associationem (nominative associatio), noun of action from past participle stem of associare (see associate). Meaning "a body of persons with a common purpose" is from 1650s. Meaning "mental connection" is from 1680s; that of "quality or thing called to mind by something else" is from 1810.

association in Medicine

association as·so·ci·a·tion (ə-sō'sē-ā'shən, -shē-)
n.

  1. A connection of persons, things, or ideas by some common factor; union.

  2. A functional connection of two ideas, events, or psychological phenomena established through learning or experience.

association in Science
association
  (ə-sō'sē-ā'shən, -shē-)   
A large number of organisms in a specific geographic area constituting a community with one or two dominant species.