Function: noun
Date: 1899
1 a : the expression (as by speaking or writing) of the content of consciousness without censorship as an aid in gaining access to unconscious processes especially in psychoanalysis b : the reporting of the first thought that comes to mind in response to a given stimulus (as a word)
2 : an idea or image elicited by free association
3 : a method using free association
– free-as · so · ci · ate \ ˌ fr ē - ə - ' s ō -s(h) ē - ˌ ā t \ intransitive verb
– free-as · so · ci · at · ive \ -s(h) ē - ˌ ā -tiv, -sh ə -tiv \ adjective