association
/əˌsəʊsɪˈeɪʃən/noun
1
- (often in names) a group of people organized for a joint purpose常用于名称联盟, 协会, 社团：
the National Association of Probation Officers.
全国缓刑犯监督官协会。
1.1
- Ecology a stable plant community including a characteristic group of dominant plant species【生态】（植物）群丛。
2
- a connection or cooperative link between people or organizations（人或机构之间的）联系, 联合：
he developed a close association with the university
他与那所大学建立了密切的联系
mass noun the programme was promoted in association with the Department of Music.那节目是与音乐系共同推出的。
2.1
- mass noun the action or state of becoming a member of an organization with subordinate status加入, 加盟：
as modifier an association agreement between Bulgaria and the EC.保加利亚加入欧洲共同体的协议。
2.2
- Chemistry the linking of molecules through hydrogen bonding or other interaction short of full bond formation【化】（分子间通过氢键或其他无全键结构反应的）缔合, 联合。
3
- （一般作 associations）a mental connection between ideas or things联想：
the word bureaucracy has unpleasant associations.
官僚主义这个词会引起不愉悦的联想。
3.1
- mass noun the action of making such a connection联系; 联想：
the association of alchemy with 'hieroglyphics' and 'cabala.'
从炼丹术到“象形文字”和“魔法”的联想。
3.2
- mass noun the fact of occurring with something else; co-occurrence（与其他事物的）同时出现, 共生：
cases of cancer found in association with colitis.
与结肠炎并发的癌症病例。
派生词
associational
adjective词源
mid 16th cent. （in the sense 'uniting in a common purpose'）： from medieval Latin associatio（n-）， from Latin associare 'to unite， ally' （see ASSOCIATE）.