What does "association" mean?

1. (an organisation) a group of people who have joined together for a particular purpose or interest. 2. (a connection or link) a connection or relationship between people, things, or ideas. 3. (statistical relationship) a relationship between two sets of data where they seem to change together.

How do you use "association"?

Often used with the preposition 'between'.

association

US //əˌsoʊsiˈeɪʃən// UK //ɐsˈəʊsɪˈeɪʃən// as·so·ci·a·tion

1 an organisation (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a group of people who have joined together for a particular purpose or interest.

a formal organisation of people or groups with a common interest or goal.

Example

The local residents formed an association to protect the park from builders.

Example

The professional association provides its members with legal advice and keeps them updated on changes to industry regulations.
2 a connection or link (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a connection or relationship between people, things, or ideas.

the state of being connected or the act of linking one thing with another in the mind.

Example

The company denied any association with the political scandal.

Example

Psychologists often use word games to explore the subconscious associations patients make between certain colours and childhood memories.
- separation
- disconnection

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3 statistical relationship (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Academic Math

a relationship between two sets of data where they seem to change together.

a relationship between two measured quantities that renders them statistically dependent, though not necessarily implying a causal link.

Example

The study found a strong association between a healthy diet and a long life.

Example

Researchers noted a significant statistical association between the two variables, although they cautioned that this did not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

Usage

Often used with the preposition 'between'.
- correlation
- dependency
- independence

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *sokʷéh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ṓy Proto-Indo-European *sokʷh₂ṓy Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Indo-European *sokʷyós Proto-Italic *sokjos Latin sokios Latin socius Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin sociō Latin associō Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin associātiōbor. English association From Latin associātiō, from associō (perhaps via French association). Morphologically associate + -ion. The Philippine sense is a calque of Spanish gremio.