Syndicate
early 17th century (denoting a committee of syndics): from French syndicat, from medieval Latin syndicatus, from late Latin syndicus ‘delegate of a corporation’ (see syndic). Current verb senses date from the late 19th century.
wiktionary
From French syndicat(“ office of a syndic; board of syndics; trade union”), from syndic(“syndic; representative; chief magistrate of Geneva”) + -at(“suffix denoting an action or result of an action”), from Medieval Latin *syndicatus, from syndicus(“representative of a corporation or town; syndic”) (from Ancient Greek σύνδικος(súndikos, “ advocate for a defendant”), from σύν(sún, “ beside; with”) + δίκη(díkē, “ judgment; justice”)) + -ātus(“suffix forming adjectives from nouns indicating the possession of a thing or a quality”).
Compare Italian sindacato(“syndicate; trade union; audit, control, supervision”), Occitan sendegat, Portuguese sindicato(“trade union”), Spanish sindicado, sindicato(“office of a syndic; syndicate; trade union”).
etymonline
syndicate (n.)
1620s, "council or body of representatives," from French syndicat (15c.), from syndic "representative of a corporation" (see syndic) + -at (see -ate (1)). Meaning "combination of capitalists or companies to carry out some commercial undertaking" first occurs 1865. Publishing sense of "association of publishers for purchasing articles, etc., for simultaneous publication in a number of newspapers" is from 1889. As a synonym for "organized crime, the Mob" it is recorded from 1929.
syndicate (v.)
1889, "form into a syndicate," from syndicate (n.). Meaning "sell for simultaneous publication" is from 1889. Earlier it meant "to judge, censure" (1610s), from Medieval Latin syndicatus, past participle of syndicare. Related: Syndicated; syndicating.
