union
Other forms: unions
A union is things coming together, or uniting, to make one. When the thirteen colonies that became the United States came together, they formed a union. Marriage is another kind of union.
Workers come together to form trade unions so that together they can have a stronger voice negotiating with their employer. The word famously occurs in the Preamble (the introduction) to the United States Constitution: "We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...do ordain and establish this Constitution...." You may recognize the Latin root unum in union, as in e pluribus unum "from many, one," the motto on the seal of the United States.
Definitions of union
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the state of being joined or united or linked“there is strength in union”synonyms: unificationantonyms:separationthe state of lacking unitytypes:associationthe state of being connected together as in memory or imaginationmarriagea close and intimate unionsyncretismthe union (or attempted fusion) of different systems of thought or belief (especially in religion or philosophy)anastomosis, inosculationa natural or surgical joining of parts or branches of tubular structures so as to make or become continuoussynapsethe junction between two neurons (axon-to-dendrite) or between a neuron and a musclecontactthe state or condition of touching or of being in immediate proximityconcatenationthe state of being linked together as in a chain; union in a linked seriestype of:statethe way something is with respect to its main attributes
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the act of making or becoming a single unit“the union of opposing factions”synonyms: conjugation, jointure, unification, unitingantonyms:disunionthe termination or destruction of uniontypes:coalescence, coalescency, coalition, concretion, conglutinationthe union of diverse things into one body or form or group; the growing together of partsumbrellahaving the function of uniting a group of similar thingshomecomingan annual school or university reunion for graduatestype of:
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the occurrence of a uniting of separate parts“lightning produced an unusual union of the metals”types:amphimixisunion of sperm and egg in sexual reproductionrecombination(genetics) a combining of genes or characters different from what they were in the parentsrecombination(physics) a combining of charges or transfer of electrons in a gas that results in the neutralization of ions; important for ions arising from the passage of high-energy particlesconsolidationcombining into a solid massconglobation, conglomerationan occurrence combining miscellaneous things into a (more or less) rounded masstype of:
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a set containing all and only the members of two or more given sets“let C be the union of the sets A and B”types:direct suma union of two disjoint sets in which every element is the sum of an element from each of the disjoint setstype of:seta group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
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a political unit formed from previously independent people or organizationstypes:enosisthe union of Greece and Cyprus (which is the goal of a group of Greek Cypriots)leaguean association of states or organizations or individuals for common actioncustoms unionan association of nations to promote free trade within the union and set common tariffs for nations that are not membersnationa federation of tribes (especially Native American tribes)Creek Confederacya North American Indian confederacy organized by the Muskogee that dominated the southeastern part of the United States before being removed to OklahomaHanseatic Leaguea commercial and defensive confederation of free cities in northern Germany and surrounding areas; formed in 1241 and most influential in the 14th century when it included over 100 towns and functioned as an independent political power; the last official assembly was held in 1669Five Nations, Iroquois League, League of Iroquois, Six Nationsa league of Iroquois tribes including originally the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca (the Five Nations); after 1722 they were joined by the Tuscarora (the Six Nations)Beneluxa customs union comprising Belgium and Netherlands and Luxembourgtype of:
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an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer“you have to join the union in order to get a job”synonyms: brotherhood, labor union, trade union, trades uniontypes:industrial union, vertical uniona labor union that admits all workers in a given industry irrespective of their craftcraft uniona labor union whose membership is restricted to workers in a particular craftcompany uniona union of workers for a single company; a union not affiliated with a larger unionI.W.W., IWW, Industrial Workers of the Worlda former international labor union and radical labor movement in the United States; founded in Chicago in 1905 and dedicated to the overthrow of capitalism; its membership declined after World War ITeamsters Unionan industrial union of truck drivers and chauffeurs and warehouse workersUnited Mine Workers, United Mine Workers of Americaan industrial union of mine workers in North Americatype of:
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of trade unions
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the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)“God bless this union”synonyms: marriage, matrimony, spousal relationship, wedlocktypes:bigamyhaving two spouses at the same timecommon-law marriagea marriage relationship created by agreement and cohabitation rather than by ceremonyendogamy, inmarriage, intermarriagemarriage within one's own tribe or group as required by custom or lawexogamy, intermarriagemarriage to a person belonging to a tribe or group other than your own as required by custom or lawmarriage of conveniencea marriage for expediency rather than lovemisalliancean unsuitable alliance (especially with regard to marriage)monandrythe state of having only one husband at a timeopen marriagea marriage in which each partner is free to enter into extraneous sexual relationships without guilt or jealousy from the othercuckoldomthe state of a husband whose wife has committed adulterypolygamyhaving more than one spouse at a timesigeha Shiite tradition of temporary marriage permitted in Iran that allows a couple to specify the terms of their relationship; can last from a few minutes to 99 yearsmesalliancea marriage with a person of inferior social statusmonogynyhaving only one wife at a timeserial monogamya succession of short monogamous relationships (as by someone who undergoes multiple divorces)polyandryhaving more than one husband at a timepolygynyhaving more than one wife at a timetype of:marital statusthe condition of being married or unmarried
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the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposessynonyms: conjugation, coupling, mating, pairing, sexual uniontypes:assortative matingmating of individuals having more traits in common than likely in random matingdisassortative matingmating of individuals having traits more dissimilar than likely in random matingcross, crossbreeding, crossing, hybridisation, hybridization, hybridizing, interbreeding(genetics) the act of mixing different species or varieties of animals or plants and thus to produce hybridsinbreedingthe act of mating closely related individualsdihybrid crosshybridization using two traits with two alleles eachmonohybrid crosshybridization using a single trait with two alleles (as in Mendel's experiments with garden peas)reciprocal, reciprocal crosshybridization involving a pair of crosses that reverse the sexes associated with each genotypetest-cross, testcrossa cross between an organism whose genotype for a certain trait is unknown and an organism that is homozygous recessive for that trait so the unknown genotype can be determined from that of the offspringtype of:
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healing process involving the growing together of the edges of a wound or the growing together of broken bonessynonyms: conglutinationtype of:healingthe natural process by which the body repairs itself
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a device on a national flag emblematic of the union of two or more sovereignties (typically in the upper inner corner)type of:devicean emblematic design (especially in heraldry)
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Vocabulary lists containing union
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
This introduction to the United States Constitution lays out the foundational principles of the nation. Read the full text here.
Working Together: The Language of Unions
When individuals form groups, they can wield more influence. Workers unite to demand higher pay or safer conditions, companies combine forces to address issues of mutual importance, and states and countries can join forces against a common enemy. We've united all these words together in this handy list just for you!
Name On: Pro Sports Team Names, Part 2
There may not be an “i” in team, but there are a ton of great words in professional team names! Whether or not you're a sports fan, if you learn these words your vocabulary will be in competition condition. For more, check out Name On: Pro Sports Team Names, Part 1