associate

Pronunciation

• IPA: verb UK /əˈsəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, /əˈsəʊ.si.eɪt/, US /əˈsoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/; noun UK /əˈsəʊ.ʃi.ət/, /əˈsəʊ.si.ət/, US /əˈsoʊ.ʃi.ɪt/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English associat, borrowed from Latin associātus, the past participle of associāre (“to join with”),^[2][3][4] from ad- (“to”) and sociāre (“to unite with”), from socius (“companion, ally”),^[2][3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”).^[2] The earlier verb was associen, from Old French associier, in Wycliffe's writings about 1383; associate gradually replaced it.^[2][3] It is related to social.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adjective, joined in companionship, function or dignity: 1398 in the OED, before 1425 in Barnhart.^[6][3] The verb, to join in company, is from the mid-15th century,^[2] about 1450 in Barnhart.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The noun, a partner in business or interest, is from 1533,^[6][2] and a companion in arms from 1548.^[6] A colleague is from 1552, and someone often in another's company from 1601.^[6] The intransitive verb, to keep company, is from the 1640s.^[2] A member of an association of lower rank, as in associate member, is from 1812.^[6][2] To connect in the mind, as in the association of ideas, is a later sense of the verb.^[7][8]

Timeline

• 1398 – joined in companionship.^[6]
• mid-15th century – the verb.^[2]
• 1533 – a partner.^[6]
• 1640s – to keep company.^[2]
• 1812 – a member of lower rank.^[6]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To connect one thing with another in the mind: I associate summer with the sea.
2. To spend time with someone, often someone disapproved of.
3. To join or be connected with an organization or cause.

Noun

1. A partner or companion, especially at work.
2. A member of an organization with fewer rights than a full member.

Adjective

1. Having a lower rank or status: an associate professor.
2. Joined with others; allied.

Word family

• associateship
• reassociate
• associate professor

Related words

• association
• associative
• social
• society
• sociable

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins