Origin: Latin suffix -ate
Cooperate has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
work together on a common enterprise of project
"The soprano and the pianist did not get together very well"
"We joined forces with another research group"
To work or act together, especially for a common purpose or benefit.
"The two teams cooperated to finish building the bridge before sunset."
In plain English: To cooperate means to work together with others toward a common goal instead of acting alone against them.
"The team members had to cooperate closely to finish the project on time."
Usage: Use cooperate to describe two or more parties working jointly toward a shared goal, such as employees collaborating on a project. Do not confuse it with collaborate when the focus is specifically on combining efforts rather than simply acting in unison.
Cooperate entered the language between 1595 and 1605 from Late Latin, where it originally meant "to work with." The word was formed by combining the prefix co- with operate to describe joint effort.