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academy

[ uh-kad-uh-mee ]
/ əˈkæd ə mi /
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See synonyms for academy on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural a·cad·e·mies.
a secondary or high school, especially a private one: My daughter goes to a very exclusive academy in Chicago.
a school or college for special instruction or training in a subject: a military academy.
an association or institution for the advancement of art, literature, or science: the National Academy of Arts and Letters.
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.
the Academy,
  1. the Platonic school of philosophy or its adherents.
  2. academe (def. 5).
  3. French Academy.
  4. Royal Academy.
  5. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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Origin of academy

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; see origin at Academus; see also -y3

Words nearby academy

academic year, Académie Goncourt, academism, academize, Academus, academy, Academy Award, Academy Awards, Academy, French, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy, Plato's
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to academy

boarding school, institute, prep school, secondary school, seminary, association, federation, foundation, league, alliance, circle, council, fraternity, finishing school, halls of ivy, military school, preparatory school

How to use academy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for academy (1 of 2)

academy
/ (əˈkædəmɪ) /
noun plural -mies
an institution or society for the advancement of literature, art, or science
a school for training in a particular skill or professiona military academy
a secondary school: now used only as part of a name, and often denoting a private school

Word Origin for academy

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

British Dictionary definitions for academy (2 of 2)

Academy
/ (əˈkædəmɪ) /
noun the Academy
  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
short for the French Academy, Royal Academy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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