associée

Associée is the feminine form of the French noun associé and of the adjective associé. It designates a person who is a partner or co-owner within a professional firm or organization. The term is widely used in law, accounting, consulting, and other professional services to denote someone who has equity in the firm and a role in governance, as opposed to an employee or collaborator without ownership.

In many French firms, an associée is a partner with voting rights and a share of profits. The title may appear in forms such as associée gérante or associée principale, depending on the firm’s structure. The feminine form is used when the partner is a woman; the masculine form associé is used for a man. The plural forms are associés (for men or mixed groups) and associées (for women).

Beyond professional services, associée can denote ownership or partnership in other organizational contexts, including corporate structures where ownership is held by partners rather than public shareholders. The term can also occur in academic or research settings, for example in compounds like chercheuse associée or associée de recherche, indicating a research associate or a collaborator with recognized status.

Etymology: associée derives from Latin associatus, from associare meaning to join or unite. In use, the form reflects the gender of the person and, when plural, the composition of the group.