1. The act of linking things together
   "The linkage of the two companies created a powerful new entity"
    
2. An associative relation or connection between things, ideas, or people
   "The study revealed a clear linkage between diet and health"
    
3. (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)
   "Gene linkage explains why certain traits are often inherited together";
   - gene linkage
    
4. A mechanical system of rods or springs or pivots that transmits power or motion
   "The car's steering linkage needed adjustment"

Derived forms: linkages

Type of: attachment, connectedness, connection, connexion [Brit], fastening, hereditary pattern, inheritance, mechanical system

Encyclopedia: Linkage