Associated

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈsəʊʃieɪtɪd/

Definitions

1. Linked by a common factor or characteristic
2. Related due to shared circumstances or attributes
3. Being connected through a relationship or collaboration ; experiencing a connection through emotions or ideas

Etymology: "Associated" is the past tense and past participle of "associate," so its story is really the story of the verb. That verb came into English through Latin "associare," meaning "to join" or "unite," built from "ad-" (to) and "sociare," which in turn comes from "socius," meaning "shared, common, kindred." The root idea is companionship: to associate is to bring something alongside another thing so the two share a bond. English first took the word in its participial form, as an adjective meaning "allied" or "joined," and the verb came later. Only much later did speakers begin using it as an ordinary action verb, so the adjectival sense of being joined or allied came first and the verbal sense followed. The verb is therefore a little younger than the participle that now serves as its past tense.

Synonyms: connected, related, linked, affiliated, allied

Antonyms: unrelated, disconnected, separate, isolated, divorced