college

 
Pronunciation: /ˈkɒlɪdʒ/

noun

  • 1an educational institution or establishment, in particular:
  • one providing higher education or specialized professional or vocational training: colleges of further education I’m at college, studying graphic design
  • (in Britain) any of the independent institutions into which certain universities are separated, each having its own teaching staff, students, and buildings: the Oxford colleges [in names]: Trinity College, Cambridge
  • British a private secondary school: [in names]: Eton College
  • US a university offering a limited curriculum or teaching only to a bachelor’s degree: [in names]: Harvard College
  • the teaching staff and students of a college considered collectively: the college was shocked by his death
  • 2an organized group of professional people with particular aims, duties, and privileges: [in names]: the Royal College of Physicians

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French, from Latin collegium 'partnership', from collega 'partner in office', from col- 'together with' + legare 'depute'