I. af ‧ fil ‧ i ‧ ate 1 /əˈfɪlieɪt/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: past participle of affiliare 'to take over as a son' , from Latin ad- 'to' + filius 'son' ]
1 . [intransitive, transitive usually passive] if a group or organization affiliates to or with another larger one, it forms a close connection with it
affiliate with
The Society is not affiliated with any political party.
affiliate to
the church’s right to affiliate to Rome
2 . affiliate yourself to/with somebody/something to join or become connected with a larger group or organization:
She affiliated herself with the Impressionist school of painting.
II. af ‧ fil ‧ i ‧ ate 2 /əˈfɪliət, əˈfɪliɪt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
a company, organization etc that is connected with or controlled by a larger one:
Volvo’s Japanese affiliate, Mitsubishi