associative

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   in mathematics, having the property that regrouping operands does not change the result

   Addition is associative because (a + b) + c always equals a + (b + c).

2. 2
   adj

   relating to the formation of connections between ideas, events, or responses

   Associative learning linked the sound of the bell with the arrival of food.

3. 3
   adj

   in computing, addressed by a key rather than solely by a numerical position

   An associative array lets the program retrieve a value by its name.

From associate + -ive. Associate comes from Latin associare ("to join to"), from ad- ("to") + socius ("companion"). The algebraic sense names operations whose operands may be joined into groups without changing the result.

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