colligation

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)A binding together.

   “Near-synonyms: ligation, ligature”

   “These therefore the midwife cutteth off, contriving them into a knot close unto the body of the Infant; from whence ensueth that tortuosity or complicated nodosity we usually call the Navell; occasioned by the colligation of the vessels before mentioned.”

2. (countable, uncountable)The formulation of a general hypothesis which seeks to connect two or more facts.

   “Induction is a term applied to describe the process of a true Colligation of Facts by means of an exact and appropriate Conception.”

   “the colligation of facts”

   “In order to have knowledge of the physical world, we use our ideas and concepts as the "thread" on which we string the facts about the world, the "pearls." We do this by a process Whewell called colligation.”

3. (countable, uncountable)The co-occurrence of syntactic categories, usually within a sentence.