Exact historical dictionary sense
Association in Webster's 1913 dictionary
The 1913 record labels association as noun. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.
[Cf. F. association, LL. associatio, fr. L. associare.]
Cross-verified historical senseIn Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "association" is labeled noun. Its etymology is recorded as: "[Cf. F. association, LL. associatio, fr. L. associare.]" The selected historical definition says: "The act of associating, or state of being associated; union; connection, whether of persons of things."