affiliate

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To adopt or accept as a member, subordinate associate, or branch: The HMO affiliated the clinics last year.
2. v. To associate (oneself) as a subordinate, subsidiary, employee, or member: affiliated herself with a new law firm.
3. v. To assign the origin of.
4. v. To become closely connected or associated: The two unions voted to affiliate.
5. n. A person, organization, or establishment associated with another as a subordinate, subsidiary, or member: network affiliates.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To adopt; receive into a family as a son or daughter; hence, to bring into intimate association or close connection.
2. In law, to fix the paternity of, as a bastard child: with upon: as, the mother affiliated her child upon John Doe.
3. To connect in the way of descent or derivation: with upon.
4. To associate; receive or establish on terms of fellowship.
5. To associate; consort; be intimately united in action or interest.
6. Occupying the position of or recognized as an adopted son; affiliated.
7. n. An affiliated person or institution, etc.

Wiktionary

1. n. Someone or something that is affiliated, or associated; a member of a group of associated things.
2. v. To adopt; to receive into a family as a son; hence, to bring or receive into close connection; to ally.
3. v. To fix the paternity of; — said of an illegitimate child; as, to affiliate the child to (or on or upon) one man rather than another.
4. v. To connect in the way of descent; to trace origin to.
5. v. To attach (to) or unite (with); to receive into a society as a member, and initiate into its mysteries, plans, etc.; — followed by to or with.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To adopt; to receive into a family as a son; hence, to bring or receive into close connection; to ally.
2. v. To fix the paternity of; -- said of an illegitimate child.
3. v. To connect in the way of descent; to trace origin to.
4. v. To attach (to) or unite (with); to receive into a society as a member, and initiate into its mysteries, plans, etc.; -- followed by to or with.
5. v. To connect or associate one's self; -- followed by with.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a subordinate or subsidiary associate; a person who is affiliated with another or with an organization
2. v. keep company with; hang out with
3. v. join in an affiliation
4. n. a subsidiary or subordinate organization that is affiliated with another organization