yhdistys

Noun

 * 1)  association organized group of persons associated for a common purpose

Usage notes

 * is principally a legal term and an is a legal person represented by its .  states that an association may be founded for the common realisation of a non-profit purpose. The purpose may not be contrary to law or proper behaviour.
 * For many purposes and  are used synonymously, but  is a slightly wider concept covering also organizations which are not associations in legal sense. A prime example is . Also international associations or similar organizations such as the UN, OECD, Red Cross or UEFA are often called.
 * There is a number of terms for different types of associations, see "Hyponyms" -section below for partial listing. Some of them, notably, and  may also be used of organizations which are only groups of people and not associations from legal perspective.