Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Connection has 10 different meanings across 1 category:
a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
"there was a connection between eating that pickle and having that nightmare"
the state of being connected
"the connection between church and state is inescapable"
an instrumentality that connects
"he soldered the connection"
"he didn't have the right connector between the amplifier and the speakers"
(usually plural) a person who is influential and to whom you are connected in some way (as by family or friendship)
"he has powerful connections"
the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination
"conditioning is a form of learning by association"
a connecting shape
"The bridge's design relies on a curved connection that seamlessly joins the two main arches."
a supplier (especially of narcotics)
"After weeks of surveillance, the police finally identified the drug dealer's key connection in the city who was funneling shipments into the neighborhood."
shifting from one form of transportation to another
"the plane was late and he missed his connection in Atlanta"
the act of bringing two things into contact (especially for communication)
"the joining of hands around the table"
"there was a connection via the internet"
The act of connecting.
"The connection between the two servers was established successfully after a brief delay."
In plain English: A connection is a link between two things that lets them affect each other.
"My internet connection keeps dropping whenever I walk outside."
Usage: Use "connection" to describe a physical link between things or a relationship with someone, rather than the specific action of joining them together. For example, say there is a connection between two cities on a map, but refer to the act of attaching wires as making a connection.
The word "connection" comes from the Latin connexionem, which originally meant "a binding together." It traveled into English via Middle English, where its spelling eventually standardized as "connection" in American usage during the mid-18th century.