association

noun

• 1(often in names) a group of people organized for a joint purpose:the National Association of Probation Officers
• Ecology a stable plant community including a characteristic group of dominant plant species: a bog association containing ericaceous plants

• 2a connection or cooperative link between people or organizations:he developed a close association with the university [mass noun]:the programme was promoted in association with the Department of Music
• [mass noun] the process or state of becoming a subordinate member of an organization: [as modifier]:an association agreement between Bulgaria and the EU
• Chemistry the linking of molecules through hydrogen bonding or other interaction short of full bond formation.

• 3 (usually associations) a mental connection between things:the word bureaucracy has unpleasant associations
• [mass noun] the action of making a mental connection:there’s nothing new in the association of fasting with spirituality

• 4 [mass noun] the state of occurring with something else; co-occurrence:cases of cancer found in association with colitis