Association - Definition

n 1: a formal organization of people or groups of people; "he
joined the Modern Language Association"
2: the act of consorting with or joining with others; "you
cannot be convicted of criminal guilt by association"
3: the state of being connected together as in memory or
imagination; "his association of his father with being beaten
was too strong to break" [ant: disassociation]
4: the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or
imagination; "conditioning is a form of learning by
association" [syn: association, connection, connexion]
5: a social or business relationship; "a valuable financial
affiliation"; "he was sorry he had to sever his ties with
other members of the team"; "many close associations with
England" [syn: affiliation, association, tie, tie-up]
6: a relation resulting from interaction or dependence; "flints
were found in association with the prehistoric remains of the
bear"; "the host is not always injured by association with a
parasite"
7: (chemistry) any process of combination (especially in
solution) that depends on relatively weak chemical bonding
8: (ecology) a group of organisms (plants and animals) that live
together in a certain geographical region and constitute a
community with a few dominant species