union

Etymology

From Middle English unyoun, from Old French union, from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”). Doublet of unio.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjuː.njən/, /ˈjuː.ni.ən/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -uːnjən

Noun

union (countable and uncountable, plural unions)

1. (countable) The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.

   Synonyms: junction, coalition, combination

   Antonym: nonunion

2. (countable) The state of being united or joined; a state of unity or harmony.

   Antonym: nonunion

3. (countable) Something united, or made one; something formed by a combination or coalition of parts or members; a confederation; a consolidated body; a league.
4. (countable) A trade union; a workers' union.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     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.

5. (countable) An association of students at a university for social and/or political purposes; also in some cases a debating body.
6. (countable) A joint or other connection uniting parts of machinery, such as pipes.
7. (countable, set theory) The set containing all of the elements of two or more sets.
8. (countable) The act or state of marriage.
9. (uncountable, archaic, euphemistic) Sexual intercourse.
10. (countable, programming) A data structure that can store any of various types of item, but only one at a time.
    • 2008, Kris Bell, Lars Ivar Igesund, Sean Kelly, Learn to Tango with D, page 58:

      Unions are useful in those cases where you need to keep track of a value that can be represented as different data types during the lifetime of the program.

11. (countable, now rare, archaic) A large, high-quality pearl.
    • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 3, member 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 […]

    • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

      And in the cup an union shall he throw, Richer than that which four successive kings In Denmark's crown have worn.

12. (historical) An affiliation of several parishes for joint support and management of their poor; also the jointly-owned workhouse.

Verb

union (third-person singular simple present unions, present participle unioning, simple past and past participle unioned)

1. (set theory) To combine sets using the union operation.

Adjective

union (comparative more union, superlative most union)

1. Belonging to, represented by, or otherwise pertaining to a labour union.

   Synonym: unionized (“organized into a trades union or trades unions”)

   Antonym: nonunion

   Actors have to be union to get work here.

2. (India) federal.

   The union government of India

Anagrams

• iunno

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uniˈoˀn/

Noun

union c (singular definite unionen, plural indefinite unioner)

1. union

Further reading

• “union” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “union” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”). Doublet of unie.

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

• Hyphenation: u‧ni‧on

Noun

union m (plural unions)

1. (US, obsolete) a trade union

   Synonyms: syndicaat, vakbond

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [uˈnion]
• Rhymes: -ion
• Hyphenation: u‧ni‧on

Noun

union

1. accusative singular of unio

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French union.

Etymology 2

Etymology

Inherited from Old French union, borrowed from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /y.njɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

union f (plural unions)

1. union

Further reading

• “union”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Noun

union f (plural unions)

1. union

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”).

Noun

union m (definite singular unionen, indefinite plural unioner, definite plural unionene)

1. union (of a political nature)

   Den europeiske union ― the European Union

References

• “union” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “union” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʉnɪˈuːn/

Noun

union m (definite singular unionen, indefinite plural unionar, definite plural unionane)

1. union (a political entity consisting of two or more state that are united)

   Noreg var i union med Sverige fram til 1905.

   Norway was part of a union with Sweden until 1905.

2. (mathematics) union (the set containing all of the elements of two or more sets)

References

• “union” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Noun

union f (plural unions)

1. union

References

• "union" in Dicod'òc

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin ūniōnem.

Etymology 2

Etymology

From Spanish unión, ultimately from Latin ūnus (“one”).

Noun

union

1. union

Alternative forms

• üniun

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /yˈnjuŋ/

Noun

union f (plural union)

1. union

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

union c

1. union (a body with many members)

Further reading

• union in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• union in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• union in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ūniō, ūniōnem (“oneness, unity”), from Latin ūnus (“one”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uˈnjoŋ/

Noun

union f (invariable)

1. union

Etymology

From un (“one”) +‎ iawn (“right, correct”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪnjɔn/

  Note: Despite being written as u, the vowel here is /ɪ/ in all parts of Wales.

Adjective

union (feminine singular union, plural union, equative unioned, comparative unionach, superlative unionaf)

1. straight, direct

   Synonyms: syth, uniongyrchol, diwyro

   1. (of electrical current) direct

      Coordinate term: eiledol (“alternating”)

2. upright, erect

   Synonym: unionsyth

3. exact, precise

   Synonyms: penodol, manwl

4. correct

   Synonyms: cywir, iawn, gwir, cyfiawn

Mutation

Further reading

• Delyth Prys, J.P.M. Jones, Owain Davies, Gruffudd Prys (2006) Y Termiadur: termau wedi'u safoni; standardised terminology‎ (in Welsh), Cardiff: Awdurdod cymwysterau, cwricwlwm ac asesu Cymru (Qualifications curriculum & assessment authority for Wales), →ISBN
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “union”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies