n. pl. a·cad·e·mies 1. A school for special instruction.
2. A secondary or college-preparatory school, especially a private one.
3. a. The academic community; academe: "When there's moral leadership from the White House and from the academy, people tend to adjust" (Jesse Jackson).
b. Higher education in general. Used with the.
c. A society of scholars, scientists, or artists.
4. Academya. Plato's school for advanced education and the first institutional school of philosophy.
b. Platonism.
c. The disciples of Plato.