Union
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈjuËnjÉ™n/
Origin
From Old French union, from Late Latin unionem, from Latin Å«nus ("one")
Full definition of union
Noun
union
(plural unions)- (countable) The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.
- (uncountable) The state of being united or joined.
- (countable) That which is united, or made one; something formed by a combination or coalition of parts or members; a confederation; a consolidated body; a league.
- (countable) A trade union; a workers' union.
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 22, In the autumn there was a row at some cement works about the unskilled labour men. A union had just been started for them and all but a few joined. One of these blacklegs was laid for by a picket and knocked out of time.
- (countable) A joint or other connection uniting parts of machinery, such as pipes.
- (countable, set theory) The set containing all of the elements of two or more sets.
- (countable) The act or state of marriage.
- (uncountable, archaic, euphemistic) Sexual intercourse.
- (countable, computing) A data structure that can store any of various items, but only one at a time.
- (countable, now rare, archaic) A large, high-quality pearl.
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.3.3:Nonius the senator hath a purple coat as stiff with jewels as his mind is full of vices; rings on his fingers worth 20,000 sesterces, and...an union in his ear worth an hundred pounds' weight of gold....