university

UK: /ˌjuːniˈvɜː^rsəti/

US: /ˌjunəˈvɝsɪti/

US: (yo̅o̅′nə vûr′si tē)

Inflections of 'university' (n): npl: universities

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

u•ni•ver•si•ty /ˌyunəˈvɜrsɪti/   n. [countable] , pl. -ties. 

1. Education an institution of learning of the highest level that is made up of a college of liberal arts, a program of graduate studies, and several professional schools and is allowed to award both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

See -uni-, -vert-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

u•ni•ver•si•ty  (yo̅o̅′nə vûr′si tē), n., pl. -ties. 

1. Education 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.

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

u•ni•ver•si•tar•i•an  (yo̅o̅′nə vûr′si târ′ē ən), n., adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

university / ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ/ noun ( -ties)

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

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French universite, from Medieval Latin universitās group of scholars, from Late Latin: guild, society, body of men, from Latin: whole, totality, universe