n.
Pronunciation: ə - ˌ s ō -s ē - ' ā -sh ə n, -sh ē -
Function: noun
Date: 1535
1 a : the act of associating b : the state of being associated : COMBINATION , RELATIONSHIP
2 : an organization of persons having a common interest : SOCIETY
3 : something linked in memory or imagination with a thing or person
4 : the process of forming mental connections or bonds between sensations, ideas, or memories
5 : the aggregation of chemical species to form (as with hydrogen bonds) loosely bound complexes
6 : a major unit in ecological community organization characterized by essential uniformity and usually by two or more dominant species
– as · so · ci · a · tion · al \ -sh( ə -)n ə l \ adjective