school1

 
Pronunciation: /skuːl/

noun

  • 1an institution for educating children: Ryder’s children did not go to school at all [as modifier]: school books
  • the buildings used by a school: the cost of building a new school
  • [treated as plural] the pupils and staff of a school: the head addressed the whole school
  • [mass noun] a day’s work at school: school started at 7 a.m.
  • 2any institution at which instruction is given in a particular discipline: a dancing school
  • North American informalanother term for university. Harvard is certainly not a loafer’s school
  • a department or faculty of a university concerned with a particular subject of study: the School of Medicine
  • 3a group of people, particularly writers, artists, or philosophers, sharing similar ideas or methods: the Frankfurt school of critical theory
  • [with adjective or noun modifier] a style, approach, or method of a specified character: film-makers are tired of the skin-deep school of cinema
  • 4 (schools) British (at Oxford University) the hall in which final examinations are held.
  • final examinations: I never took schools. I was ill
  • 5British a group gambling together: a poker school
  • a group of people drinking together in a bar and taking turns to buy the drinks: I ordered a pint of bitter for myself—I didn’t want to get into a school

verb

[with object]
  • 1chiefly formal or North American send to school; educate: Taverier was born in Paris and schooled in Lyon
  • train or discipline (someone) in a particular skill or activity: he schooled her in horsemanship it’s important to school yourself to be good at exams
  • 2 Riding train (a horse) on the flat or over fences: if you have schooled your horse properly, your riding will look better

adjective

South African
  • (of a Xhosa) educated and westernized: economic considerations persuaded many Xhosa not to become school by opting for a Western lifestyleContrasted with red (sense 4 of the adjective).
  • (of a name) of Western origin: it embarrasses me to be called by the school name I was given at church
    [with reference to the mission schools, which encouraged westernized dress, language, and behaviour]

Phrases

leave school

finish one’s education: he left school at 16

of (or from) the old school

see old school.

the school of hard knocks

see knock.

school of thought

a particular way of thinking, especially one not followed by the speaker: there is a school of thought that says 1960s office blocks should be refurbished as residential accommodation

Origin:

Old English scōl, scolu, via Latin from Greek skholē 'leisure, philosophy, lecture place', reinforced in Middle English by Old French escole