joint ven·ture /-'ven-chər/ n
1: a cooperative business agreement or partnership between two or more parties that is usu. limited to a single enterprise and that involves the sharing of resources, control, profits, and losses compare combination
2: a criminal undertaking by two or more persons in which each intentionally takes part
— used in the law of Massachusetts
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.