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gesellschaft

[ German guh-zel-shahft ]
/ German gəˈzɛlˌʃɑft /
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noun, plural ge·sell·schaf·ten [German guh-zel-shahf-tuhn]. /German gəˈzɛlˌʃɑf tən/. (often initial capital letter)
an association of individuals for common goals, as for entertainment, intellectual, or cultural purposes or for business reasons.
Sociology. a society or group characterized chiefly by formal organization, impersonal relations, the absence of generally held or binding norms, and a detachment from traditional and sentimental concerns, and often tending to be rationalistic and secular in outlook.

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Compare gemeinschaft.

Origin of gesellschaft

1935–40; <German, equivalent to Geselle companion + -schaft-ship
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gesellschaft in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gesellschaft

gesellschaft
/ (German ɡəˈzɛlʃaft) /

noun plural -schaften (German -ʃaftən)
(often capital) a social group held together by practical concerns, formal and impersonal relationships, etcCompare gemeinschaft

Word Origin for gesellschaft

German, literally: society
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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