n. [ Cf. F. syndicat, LL. syndicatus. ] 1. The office or jurisdiction of a syndic; a council, or body of syndics. Bp. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An association of persons officially authorized to undertake some duty or to negotiate some business; also, an association of persons who combine to carry out, on their own account, a financial or industrial project; as, a syndicate of bankers formed to take up and dispose of an entire issue of government bonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A more or less organized association of criminals controlling some aspects of criminal activity, in a specific area or country-wide; -- used loosely as a synonym for organized crime or the mafia. [ PJC ]

4. (Journalism) a commercial organization that purchases various journalistic items, such as articles, columns, or comic strips, from their individual creators, and resells them to newspapers or other periodicals for simultaneous publication over a wide area. [ PJC ]

v. t. [ LL. syndicatus, p. p. of syndicare to censure. ] To judge; to censure. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. syndicated p. pr. & vb. n. syndicating ] 1. To combine or form into, or manage as, a syndicate. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. To acquire or control for or by, or to subject to the management of, a syndicate; as, syndicated newspapers. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

3. (Journalism) to purchase various journalistic items, such as articles, columns, or comic strips, from their individual creators, and resell them to numerous periodicals for simultaneous publication over a wide area; a syndicated columnist. [ PJC ]

v. i. To unite to form a syndicate. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Act or process of syndicating or forming a syndicate. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]