academy

[uh-kad-uh-mee]

noun

plural

academies 

1. a secondary or high school, especially a private one.

   My daughter goes to a very exclusive academy in Chicago.

2. a school or college for special instruction or training in a subject.

   a military academy.

3. an association or institution for the advancement of art, literature, or science.

   the National Academy of Arts and Letters.

4. a group of authorities and leaders in a field of scholarship, art, etc., who are often permitted to dictate standards, prescribe methods, and criticize new ideas.

5. the Academy,

   1. the Platonic school of philosophy or its adherents.

   2. academe.

   3. French Academy.

   4. Royal Academy.

   5. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Academy

¹

/ əˈkædəmɪ /

noun

1. 1. the grove or garden near Athens where Plato taught in the late 4th century _bc

   2. the school of philosophy founded by Plato

   3. the members of this school and their successors

2. short for the French Academy Royal Academy

academy

²

/ əˈkædəmɪ /

noun

1. an institution or society for the advancement of literature, art, or science

2. a school for training in a particular skill or profession

   a military academy

3. a secondary school: now used only as part of a name, and often denoting a private school

Word History and Origins

Origin of academy¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English achademye, achadomye, from Latin Acadēmīa, the name of the public gymnasium near Athens, sacred to the hero Academus, where Plato established his school of philosophy; from Greek Akadēmía, variant of Akadḗmeia, noun use of feminine adjective Akadḗmeios, derivative of Akádēm(os) + -eia adjective suffix; Academus; -y ³ ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of academy¹

C16: via Latin from Greek akadēmeia name of the grove where Plato taught, named after the legendary hero Akadēmos

Example Sentences

He’s also become the pale face of the academy, which also houses a 93-year-old fish named Methuselah.

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Although he is a native Spaniard, his English is so fluent it sounds like he has not spent a day away from north London, where he moved aged 16 to join Arsenal's academy.

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That change is a gradual process, one which Bellamy himself says is still ongoing, and his first foray into coaching at Cardiff's academy was a lesson.

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There has been substantial investment in the academy and the women's team, while hundreds of millions have been pumped into to the club to help with day-to-day running costs.

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Hugo: When I was 14, I was playing in the Reims academy and I was bad.

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Related Words

• boarding school 
• institute 
• prep school 
• secondary school 
• seminary