institute

[in-sti-toot, -tyoot]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR institute ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), in·sti·tut·ed, in·sti·tut·ing.

to set up; establish; organize: to institute a government.

to inaugurate; initiate; start: to institute a new course in American literature.

to set in operation: to institute a lawsuit.

to bring into use or practice: to institute laws.

to establish in an office or position.

Ecclesiastical. to assign to or invest with a spiritual charge, as of a parish.

noun

a society or organization for carrying on a particular work, as of a literary, scientific, or educational character.

the building occupied by such a society.

Education.

an institution, generally beyond the secondary school level, devoted to instruction in technical subjects, usually separate but sometimes organized as a part of a university.
a unit within a university organized for advanced instruction and research in a relatively narrow field of subject matter.
a short instructional program set up for a special group interested in a specialized field or subject.

an established principle, law, custom, or organization.

institutes,

an elementary textbook of law designed for beginners.
(initial capital letter)Also called Institutes of Justinian.an elementary treatise on Roman law in four books, forming one of the four divisions of the Corpus Juris Civilis.

something instituted.

Origin of institute

1275–1325; Middle English < Latin institūtus past participle of instituere to set, put up, establish, equivalent to in- in-² + -stitū- (combining form of statū-, stem of statuere to make stand) + -tus past participle suffix

Related formsre·in·sti·tute, verb (used with object), re·in·sti·tut·ed, re·in·sti·tut·ing.un·in·sti·tut·ed, adjectivewell-in·sti·tut·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for institute

appoint, organize, launch, create, introduce, initiate, install, inaugurate, establish, enact, habit, fixture, maxim, tenet, precept, doctrine, decree, ordinance, prescript, regulation

Examples from the Web for institute

Contemporary Examples of institute

He rebuffed calls to institute the death penalty, and his last term as governor ended in his defeat.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82
Eleanor Clift
January 2, 2015
The institute put out new numbers just this past summer (PDF), and they are eye-popping.
Rubio’s Embargo Anger Plays to the Past
Michael Tomasky
December 19, 2014
The Institute for Inclusive Security commissioned her to write this article.
Amid Unrest, Afghan Women Push For Role in Peace Process
Molly Raskin
October 17, 2014
He helped set up an institute in Mexico aimed at improving wheat and corn production.
Growth Stocks
The Daily Beast
October 17, 2014
Numerous staffers insist that the only way forward is to institute policies that would encourage greater diversity.
Why Are Black Staffers Fleeing Capitol Hill?
Tim Mak
September 30, 2014

Historical Examples of institute

Alas, I was too ill to institute them myself while it was yet time.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
I sha'n't take anything at the refreshment bar, it reeks of the Institute.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
Why did you telegraph the Institute folks that you wouldn't accept their offer?
Galusha the Magnificent
Joseph C. Lincoln
That was what he said, but what his colleagues did, was to institute a military inspection or review.
Hellenica
Xenophon
If he did not return soon he would advertise, institute a search.
Garrison's Finish
W. B. M. Ferguson

British Dictionary definitions for institute

institute

verb (tr)

to organize; establish

to initiateto institute a practice

to establish in a position or office; induct

(foll by in or into) to install (a clergyman) in a church

noun

an organization founded for particular work, such as education, promotion of the arts, or scientific research

the building where such an organization is situated

something instituted, esp a rule, custom, or precedent

Derived Formsinstitutor or instituter, noun

Word Origin for institute

C16: from Latin instituere, from statuere to place, stand

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

Word Origin and History for institute

early 14c., "to establish in office, appoint," from Latin institutus, past participle of instituere "to set up," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + statuere "establish, to cause to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand," with derivatives meaning "place or thing that is standing" (see stet). General sense of "set up, found, introduce" first attested late 15c. Related: Instituted; instituting.

1510s, "purpose, design," from institute (v.). From 1540s as "an established law." The sense of "organization, society" is from 1828, borrowed from French Institut national des Sciences et des Arts, established 1795 to replace the royal academies, from Latin institutum, neuter past participle of instituere.