UNIVERSITIES
Noun
universities
plural of university
Source: Wiktionary
UNIVERSITY
U`ni*ver"si*ty, n.; pl. Universities. Etym: [OE. universite, L.
universitas all together, the whole, the universe, a number of
persons associated into one body, a society, corporation, fr.
universus all together, universal: cf. F. université. See Universe.]
1. The universe; the whole. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
2. An association, society, guild, or corporation, esp. one capable
of having and acquiring property. [Obs.]
The universities, or corporate bodies, at Rome were very numerous.
There were corporations of bakers, farmers of the revenue, scribes,
and others. Eng. Cyc.
3. An institution organized and incorporated for the purpose of
imparting instruction, examining students, and otherwise promoting
education in the higher branches of literature, science, art, etc.,
empowered to confer degrees in the several arts and faculties, as in
theology, law, medicine, music, etc. A university may exist without
having any college connected with it, or it may consist of but one
college, or it may comprise an assemblage of colleges established in
any place, with professors for instructing students in the sciences
and other branches of learning.
The present universities of Europe were, originally, the greater part
of them, ecclesiastical corporations, instituted for the education of
churchmen . . . What was taught in the greater part of those
universities was suitable to the end of their institutions, either
theology or something that was merely preparatory to theology. A.
Smith.
Note: From the Roman words universitas, collegium, corpus, are
derived the terms university, college, and corporation, of modern
languages; and though these words have obtained modified
significations in modern times, so as to indifferently applicable to
the same things, they all agree in retaining the fundamental
signification of the terms, whatever may have been added to them.
There is now no university, college, or corporation, which is not a
juristical person in the sense above explained [see def. 2, above];
wherever these words are applied to any association of persons not
stamped with this mark, it is an abuse of terms. Eng. Cyc.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition