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Origin and history of associate

associate(v.)

mid-15c., "join in company, combine intimately" (transitive), from Latin associatus past participle of associare "join with," from assimilated form of ad "to" (see ad-) + sociare "unite with," from socius "companion, ally" (from suffixed form of PIE root *sekw- (1) "to follow"). Related: Associated; associating.

The intransitive sense of "have intercourse, be associated" is from 1640s. The earlier form of the verb was associen (late 14c.), from Old French associier "associate (with)."

associate(n.)

1530s, "a partner in interest or business," from associate (adj.). Meaning "one admitted to a subordinate degree of membership" is from 1812.

associate(adj.)

early 15c., "allied, connected, paired; joined in an interest, object, employment or purpose," from Latin associatus, past participle of associare "join with," from assimilated form of ad "to" (see ad-) + sociare "unite with," from socius "companion, ally," from PIE *sokw-yo-, suffixed form of root *sekw- (1) "to follow."

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to associate

affiliate(n.)

1846, from affiliate (v.) via the adjective. Compare associate (n.). Affiliated society in reference to a local society connected with another or associated with a central organization is attested from 1795.

associative(adj.)

"resulting from association," 1804, from associate (v.) + -ive.

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More to explore

dissociate
1610s (implied in dissociated) "sever the association or connection of," especially "cut off from society," from Latin dissociatus, past participle of dissociare "to separate from companionship, disunite, set at variance," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + sociare "to join," from so
consort
early 15c., "partner" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French consort "colleague, partner," consorte "wife" (14c.), from Latin consortem (nominative consors) "partner, comrade; brother, sister," in Medieval Latin, "a wife," noun use of adjective meaning "having the same lot, of t
assort
late 15c., "to distribute into groups or classes," from Old French assorter "to assort, match" (15c., Modern French assortir), from a- "to" (see ad-) + sorte "kind, category," from Latin sortem (nominative sors) "lot; fate, destiny; share, portion; rank, category; sex, class, ora
accomplice
"associate in crime," 1580s, an unetymological extension of earlier complice "an associate or confederate" (early 15c.),...
combine
early 15c., "to associate, unite, join two or more things together" (transitive), from Old French combiner (14c.) and directly...
cooperate
Cooperator "fellow worker, associate" is attested from early 15c. Related: Cooperated; cooperating....
implication
interweaving, an entanglement," noun of state from past participle stem of implicare "involve, entangle; embrace; connect closely, associate...
think
Old English þencan "imagine, conceive in the mind; consider, meditate, remember; intend, wish, desire" (past tense þohte, past participle geþoht), probably originally "cause to appear to oneself," from Proto-Germanic *thankjan (source also of Old Frisian thinka, Old Saxon thenkia
partner
c. 1300, partiner, "a sharer or partaker in anything," altered from parcener (late 13c.), from Old French parçonier "partner, associate; joint owner, joint heir," from parçon "partition, division. portion, share, lot," from Latin partitionem (nominative partitio) "a sharing, part
comrade
1590s, "one who shares the same room," hence "a close companion," from French camarade (16c.), from Spanish camarada "chamber mate," or Italian camerata "a partner," from Latin camera "vaulted room, chamber" (see camera). In Spanish, a collective noun referring to one's company.

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