associative
|ə-soʊ-ʃə-tɪv|
🇺🇸
/əˈsoʊʃətɪv/
🇬🇧
/əˈsəʊʃətɪv/
joined/connected
Etymology
'associative' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'associare' (to join together), where 'ad-'/a- meant 'to' and 'sociāre' meant 'to join or unite'. The English adjective was formed by adding the adjectival suffix '-ive' to the verb/participial base.
'associare' passed into Old/Middle French as 'associer' and into Middle English as 'associate'; English later formed the adjective 'associative' by adding the suffix '-ive' to the base 'associate'.
Initially it carried the basic sense of 'joined or united'; over time it evolved into the broader modern sense 'relating to association' and acquired specialized senses (for example, the mathematical meaning 'having the associative property').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or involving association, connection, or the act of associating.
She used associative techniques to link new vocabulary to familiar ideas.
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Adjective 2
(Mathematics) Having the property that the grouping (association) of operands does not affect the result; e.g., (a·b)·c = a·(b·c).
Addition and multiplication are associative operations.
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Adjective 3
(Psychology/Memory) Relating to or involving the formation of associations between ideas, memories, or stimuli.
Associative learning helps animals link a stimulus with a consequence.
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Last updated: 2025/11/04 08:56