university

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   An institution of higher education that provides facilities for teaching, research, and the conferral of academic degrees across undergraduate, graduate, and often professional levels.

   She's studying mathematics at university.

2. 2
   noun

   The entirety of a group; all members of a class.

   [I]t appears a pity to banish the women and children. But to this can be opposed that holy act of your Majesty which expelled the Moriscos, and the children of the Moriscos, for the reason given in the royal edict. Whenever any detestable crime is committed by any university, it is well to punish all.

3. 3
   noun

   establishment where a seat of higher learning is housed, including administrative and living quarters as well as facilities for research and teaching

4. 4
   noun

   the body of faculty and students at a university

5. 5
   noun

   a large and diverse institution of higher learning created to educate for life and for a profession and to grant degrees

Etymology

From Middle English universite (“institution of higher learning, body of persons constituting a university”) from Anglo-Norman université, from Old French universitei, from Medieval Latin stem of universitas, in juridical and Late Latin "a number of persons associated into one body, a society, company, community, guild, corporation, etc"; in Latin, "the whole, aggregate," from universus (“whole, entire”). By surface analysis, universe + -ity.