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REFERENCE

associate

v. · n. · adj.
US //əˈsoʊsiˌeɪt// as·so·ciate
  1. 1 to connect ideas (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to make a connection between two things in your mind.

    to connect ideas, people, or things in the mind or imagination. Transitive — requires a direct object, often followed by 'with'.

    Example

    Most people associate the smell of sunscreen with summer holidays at the beach.

    Example

    Psychologists often observe that patients associate specific auditory triggers with childhood memories, even when the connection seems logically tenuous.
  2. 2 to spend time with (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to spend time with a person or a group of people.

    to keep company or spend time socially with others. Intransitive — almost always used with the preposition 'with'.

    Example

    He chose not to associate with his old friends after he started his new job.

    Example

    The company policy explicitly forbids senior management to associate with competitors' representatives in an informal social capacity.
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  1. 3 a business partner (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    someone you work with or do business with.

    a person united with another in a business enterprise, or a colleague of lower rank in a professional firm.

    Example

    She is a close business associate who has helped me with many projects.

    Example

    The senior partner introduced his junior associate, who would be handling the day-to-day administrative aspects of the merger.
  2. 4 lower rank (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    having a lower level or rank in a job or organization.

    denoting a person or role that has lower status or only partial privileges within an institution.

    Example

    He was promoted to associate professor after five years of teaching.

    Example

    The associate membership allows access to the library and common rooms but does not grant voting rights during the annual general meeting.
  3. 5 associate's degree (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English

    a degree given by a college after a two-year course of study.

    an academic degree awarded by community colleges and some universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years.

    Example

    After finishing high school, he earned an associate degree in computer science.

    Example

    Many students opt to complete an associate degree at a local college before transferring to a university to pursue a full bachelor's degree.

Etymology 1

From Middle English associat(e) (used participially as well as adjectively up to Early Modern English), from Latin associātus, the perfect passive participle of associō (“to join, unite”), from ad- + sociō, from socius (“shared, common, kindred”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix).

Etymology 2

From the substantivization of the above adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Etymology 3

From Middle English associat(e) (“associated, allied”) (the verb *associaten is not found in Middle English writings and only attested at a later period), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Doublet of associe.

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