associate

English Online Dictionary. What means associate‎? What does associate mean?

English

Pronunciation

• Verb: (these pronunciations can also apply to the noun and adjective)
  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: əsō'shiāt, əsō'siāt IPA^(key): /əˈsəʊʃieɪt/, /əˈsəʊsieɪt/
  • (General American) enPR: əsō'shiāt, əsō'siāt IPA^(key): /əˈsoʊʃieɪt/, /əˈsoʊsieɪt/
• Noun and adjective:
  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: əsō'shiət, əsō'siət IPA^(key): /əˈsəʊʃi.ət/, /əˈsəʊsi.ət/
  • (General American) enPR: əsō'shiət, əsō'siət IPA^(key): /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/, /əˈsoʊsi.ət/, /əˈsoʊʃi.ɪt/, /əˈsoʊsi.ɪt/
• Hyphenation: as‧so‧ci‧ate

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).

Adjective

associate (not comparable)

1. Joined with another or others and having lower status.

2. Having partial status or privileges.

3. Following or accompanying; concomitant.
4. (biology, dated) Connected by habit or sympathy.

   associate motions ― motions that occur sympathetically, in consequence of preceding motions

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

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

Noun

associate (plural associates)

1. A person united with another or others in an act, enterprise, or business; a partner or employee.
2. Somebody with whom one works, coworker, colleague.
3. A companion; a comrade.
4. One that habitually accompanies or is associated with another; an attendant circumstance.
5. A member of an institution or society who is granted only partial status or privileges.
6. (algebra) One of a pair of elements of an integral domain (or a ring) such that the two elements are divisible by each other (or, equivalently, such that each one can be expressed as the product of the other with a unit).

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:associate

Derived terms

Translations

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.

Verb

associate (third-person singular simple present associates, present participle associating, simple past and past participle associated)

1. (intransitive) To join in or form a league, union, or association.
2. (intransitive) To spend time socially; keep company.
3. (transitive, with with) To join as a partner, ally, or friend.

4. (transitive) To connect or join together; combine.

   Synonyms: attach, join, put together, unite; see also Thesaurus:join

5. (transitive) To connect evidentially, or in the mind or imagination.
   • 1819 September 21, John Keats, letter to John Hamilton Reynolds:

     I always somehow associate Chatterton with autumn.
6. (reflexive, in deliberative bodies) To endorse.
7. (mathematics) To be associative.
8. (transitive, obsolete) To accompany; to be in the company of.

Antonyms

• disassociate

Derived terms

Related terms

• association
• associative

Translations

References

• “associate”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

associate

1. inflection of associare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

associate f pl

1. feminine plural of associato

Latin

Verb

associāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of associō