union

¹

[ yoon-yuhn ]

noun

1. the act of uniting two or more things.

   Antonyms: division, separation

2. the state of being united.

   Antonyms: division, separation

3. something formed by uniting two or more things; combination.
4. a number of persons, states, etc., joined or associated together for some common purpose:

   student union; credit union.

5. a group of states or nations united into one political body, as that of the American colonies at the time of the Revolution, that of England and Scotland in 1707, or that of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.
6. the Union. the United States:

   The Union defeated the Confederacy in 1865.

7. a device emblematic of union, used in a flag or ensign, sometimes occupying the upper corner next to the staff or occupying the entire field.
8. the act of uniting or an instance of being united in marriage or sexual intercourse:

   an ideal union; an illicit union.

   Synonyms: liaison, wedlock

9. an organization of workers; a labor union.
10. Mathematics.
    1. Also called join, logical sum, sum. the set consisting of elements each of which is in at least one of two or more given sets. : ∪
    2. the least upper bound of two elements in a lattice.
11. the process or result of merging or integration of disjoined, severed, or fractured elements, as the healing of a wound or broken bone, the growing together of the parts in a plant graft, the fusion of pieces in a welding process, or the like.
12. the junction or location at which the merging process has taken place.
13. any of various contrivances for connecting parts of machinery or the like.
14. Textiles.
    1. a fabric of two kinds of yarn.
    2. a yarn of two or more fibers.

Union

²

[ yoon-yuhn ]

noun

1. a township in NE New Jersey.
2. a city in NW South Carolina.

union

¹

/ ˈjuːnjən /

noun

1. the condition of being united, the act of uniting, or a conjunction formed by such an act
2. an association, alliance, or confederation of individuals or groups for a common purpose, esp political
3. agreement or harmony
4. short for trade union
5. the act or state of marriage or sexual intercourse
6. a device on a flag representing union, such as another flag depicted in the top left corner
7. a device for coupling or linking parts, such as pipes
8. often capital
   1. an association of students at a university or college formed to look after the students' interests, provide facilities for recreation, etc
   2. the building or buildings housing the facilities of such an organization
9. Also calledjoin maths a set containing all members of two given sets. Symbol: ⋃, as in A⋃B
10. in 19th-century England
    1. a number of parishes united for the administration of poor relief
    2. a workhouse supported by such a combination
11. textiles a piece of cloth or fabric consisting of two different kinds of yarn
12. modifier of or related to a union, esp a trade union

Union

²

/ ˈjuːnjən /

noun

1. 1. the union of England and Wales from 1543
   2. the union of the English and Scottish crowns (1603–1707)
   3. the union of England and Scotland from 1707
   4. the political union of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1920)
   5. the union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1920
2. 1. the United States of America
   2. the northern states of the US during the Civil War
   3. ( as modifier )

      Union supporters

3. short for the Union of South Africa

union

/ yo̅o̅n′yən /

1. A set whose members belong to at least one of a group of two or more given sets. The union of the sets {1,2,3} and {3,4,5} is the set {1,2,3,4,5}, and the union of the sets {6,7} and {11,12,13} is the set {6,7,11,12,13}. The symbol for union is .
2. Compare intersection

Union

1. The United States; especially the northern states during the Civil War , which remained with the original United States government. ( Compare Confederacy .)

Other Words From

• inter·union noun adjective
• mis·union noun
• pre·union adjective
• pro·union adjective
• self-union noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of union¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin ūniōn-, stem of ūniō, from Latin ūn(us) “one” + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of union¹

C15: from Church Latin ūniō oneness, from Latin ūnus one

Synonym Study

Union, unity agree in referring to a oneness, either created by putting together, or by being undivided. A union is a state of being united, a combination, as the result of joining two or more things into one: to promote the union between two families; the Union of England and Scotland. Unity is the state or inherent quality of being one, single, individual, and indivisible (often as a consequence of union): to find unity in diversity; to give unity to a work of art. See alliance.

Example Sentences

The former trade union activist served as Sir Tony Blair’s deputy for 10 years after Labour’s 1997 election landslide.

From BBC

But it was the Labour leader John Smith who finally gave John Prescott political room to breathe, with a key role in selling modernisation to the party and unions.

From BBC

Movement forward on the law was stalled for more than a year as contract negotiations between scores of local hotels and Unite Here Local 11, the politically powerful union that represents their workers, were underway.

From Los Angeles Times

University officials disputed the union’s allegations, saying in a statement that “we fundamentally disagree with AFSCME’s claims of bad faith bargaining and characterization of unacceptable bargaining proposals.”

From Los Angeles Times

It has also offered conductors a new deal to work on Sundays, he said, adding that the leadership of the RMT union will look at the offer before putting it to members for a vote.

From BBC

Related Words

• association
• club
• federation
• guild
• labor union
• league
• local
• society
• trade union

More About Union

What is a union?

A union is a group of workers for a particular organization or industry who come together for collective bargaining with their employers. Labor unions and trade unions often work closely with employers to maintain the rights, wages, benefits, and liberties of the unionized workers, peacefully protesting when necessary.

Broadly, a union is a combination of people or things. Any time two or more things come together physically, emotionally, or politically, they are said to be in a union. It could be as simple as the union of peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich. Two more important unions are a marriage and a civil union, which is a lesser alternative for a marriage. While a civil union doesn’t offer all of the rights and protections in the law that a marriage does, it is recognized by most governments as a permanent relationship with some rights and protections.

A union might also refer to a larger group of people joined together for a common purpose besides labor issues, such as a credit union (an alternative to a traditional bank) and a student union, a place set aside on some college and university campuses for student activities.

Example: The union of the companies went smoothly and everyone is benefitting.

Where does union come from?

The first records of the term union come from the 1400s. It comes from the Late Latin ūniō, meaning “oneness.” When a union takes place, multiple things come together to make one.

A group of states or nations can also form a union. A notable one occurred during the American Civil War, with the Union representing the states that remained a part of the United States after the southern states seceded from the US. Another was the formation of a new nation that combined Great Britain and Scotland in the early 1700s.

If you pay attention to the news in January, you also might hear about the US President’s State of the Union message. This is an annual speech from the president to all of Congress, updating them on how the Union, that is, the United States, is doing.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to union?

• interunion (adjective, noun)
• unionism (noun)
• nonunion (adjective)
• prounion (adjective)
• self-union (noun)

What are some synonyms for union?

• association
• federation
• guild
• blend
• merger

What are some words that share a root or word element with union?

• one
• unite
• union buster
• unionize

What are some words that often get used in discussing union?

• civil
• marriage
• parties
• workers

How is union used in real life?

Union is normally used in a business context as many companies have workers’ unions or enter into unions with other companies.

Despite some misconceptions, American Civil Liberties Union is not a labor union. We are, however, thankful for those who are. #LaborDay

— ACLU (@ACLU) September 4, 2017

This morning, my wife told me my armpits smell like Mexican food.
Marriage truly is a beautiful union of two souls.

— Sean Lowe (@SeanLowe09) May 5, 2018

My goodness…there has never been a more perfect union between an athlete and a town than Stan Musial and St. Louis.

— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) January 20, 2013

 

Try using union!

Is union used correctly in the following sentence?

Gail and Judy really wanted to be married, but their state would only let them have a civil union.