Organizations of people with a common purpose; mental connections between ideas or memories. Plural of association.
From Latin 'associare' meaning 'to unite with', from 'ad-' (to) + 'socius' (companion, ally). The psychological sense of mental connections developed in the 18th century alongside advances in understanding how the mind works.
The word beautifully captures both external and internal connections - we form associations with people and our minds form associations between ideas. The Latin root 'socius' also gives us 'society' and 'social', showing how fundamental companionship is to human experience.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.