university

[yoo-nuh-vur-si-tee]

noun

plural

universities 

1. an institution of learning of the highest level, having a college of liberal arts and a program of graduate studies together with several professional schools, as of theology, law, medicine, and engineering, and authorized to confer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Continental European universities usually have only graduate or professional schools.

university

/ ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ /

noun

1. an institution of higher education having authority to award bachelors' and higher degrees, usually having research facilities

2. the buildings, members, staff, or campus of a university

Other Word Forms

• universitarian noun
• antiuniversity adjective
• counteruniversity noun
• interuniversity adjective
• nonuniversity noun
• preuniversity adjective
• prouniversity adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of university¹

1250–1300; Middle English universite < Old French < Medieval Latin ūniversitās, Late Latin: guild, corporation, Latin: totality, equivalent to ūnivers ( us ) ( universe ) + -itās -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of university¹

C14: from Old French universite, from Medieval Latin universitās group of scholars, from Late Latin: guild, society, body of men, from Latin: whole, totality, universe

Example Sentences

These days, cranes are popping up across the island – building factories, research centres and universities focused on technology.

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Two years ago, a university lecturer went missing in Freetown and his body was later found buried in what police say was the shrine of a herbalist in Waterloo.

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If the trial is deemed a success, the hospital and university hope to partner with another biotech firm in order to get the treatment licensed.

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“Consumers remain frustrated about the persistence of high prices and weakening incomes,” said Joanne Hsu, director of the university’s Surveys of Consumers, in commentary about the index on the school’s website.

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He moved to Japan by himself in April 2022, without knowing the language, with the help of a university sumo club captain he met previously at a youth championship event.

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Related Words

• academy 
• institution 
• school