The ‘Noscitur a Sociis’ i.e. “it is known by its associates”. In other words, meaning of a word should be known from its accompanying or associating words.
A word in a statutory provision is to be read in collocation with its companion words.
The rule states that where two or more words which are susceptible of analogous meaning are coupled together, they are understood in their cognate sense. They take colour from each other, the meaning of more general being restricted to less general. A word may be known by the company it keeps. Associated words explain and limit each other.