linkage

linkage
    n 1: an associative relation
    2: (genetics) traits that tend to be inherited together as a
       consequence of an association between their genes; all of the
       genes of a given chromosome are linked (where one goes they
       all go) [syn: {linkage}, {gene linkage}]
    3: a mechanical system of rods or springs or pivots that
       transmits power or motion
    4: the act of linking things together
    

Linkage \Link"age\ (l[i^][ng]k"[asl]j; 48), n.
   1. The act of linking; the state of being linked; also, a
      system of links.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Chem.) Manner of linking or of being linked; -- said of
      the union of atoms or radicals in the molecule.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Geom.) A system of straight lines or bars, fastened
      together by joints, and having certain of their points
      fixed in a plane. It is used to describe straight lines
      and curves in the plane.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. Any object, factor, or relationship that creates a bond or
      association between two other objects.
      [PJC]

   5. Specifically: (Genetics) The proximity of two or more
      genes on the genome of an organism that causes those genes
      to be inherited, transferred, or moved together with a
      frequency greater than for genes not associated. The
      linkage is a continuous variable, and is inversely related
      to the distance between genes on the genome.
      [PJC]
    

78 Moby Thesaurus words for "linkage":
      accord, addition, adjunct, affairs, affiliation, affinity,
      agglomeration, agglutination, aggregation, alliance, approximation,
      articulation, assemblage, association, bond, bracketing, closeness,
      clustering, combination, communication, concatenation, concourse,
      concurrence, confluence, congeries, conglomeration, conjugation,
      conjunction, connectedness, connection, contiguity, contrariety,
      convergence, copulation, coupling, dealings, deduction,
      disjunction, filiation, gathering, homology, hookup,
      intercommunication, intercourse, interlinking, intimacy, joinder,
      joining, jointure, junction, knotting, liaison, link, linking,
      marriage, meeting, merger, merging, mutual attraction, nearness,
      pairing, propinquity, proximity, rapport, relatedness, relation,
      relations, relationship, similarity, splice, symbiosis, sympathy,
      tie, tie-in, tie-up, unification, union, yoking