Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
➗ By grouping rules 🔗 By making connections
associatively

associatively

7.7
You group numbers or operations so the result does not change
  • adverb
  • /əˈsoʊʃiˌeɪtɪvli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : asociativamente
  • In mathematics, addition is performed associatively, so the grouping of numbers does not change the sum.

Examples

  • When operations are done associatively, you can rearrange parentheses without affecting the outcome.

  • The function combines elements associatively, making it easier to process long sequences.

  • You can add numbers associatively.

  • The numbers can be added associatively without changing the sum.

  • In mathematics, addition is performed associatively, so the grouping of numbers does not change the sum.

  • When operations are done associatively, you can rearrange parentheses without affecting the outcome.

  • The function combines elements associatively, making it easier to process long sequences.

Surface Forms

associatively positive

Morphology

associatively = associative (semi-transparent) = associate + ive + ly

Formally derivable as 'associative' + '-ly', but the sense referring to the mathematical 'associative property' is specialized and may not be inferable by an average learner.

Etymology

Associatively comes from the word associate, which goes back to old Latin parts ad- 'to' and socius 'companion', the same root as social. In math, doing things associatively means you can group or join numbers in any order without changing the final result, so the order of parentheses does not matter.