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col·lege

(kŏlĭj)

a. An institution of higher learning that grants the bachelor's degree in liberal arts or science or both.

b. An undergraduate division or school of a university offering courses and granting degrees in a particular field or group of fields.

c. A junior or community college.

d. A school offering special instruction in a professional or technical subject: a medical college.

e. The students, faculty, and administration of one of these schools or institutions: new policies adopted by the college.

f. The building, buildings, or grounds where one of these schools or institutions is located: drove over to the college.

g. Chiefly British A self-governing society of scholars for study or instruction, incorporated within a university.

h. An institution for secondary education in France and certain other countries that is not supported by the state.

a. A body of persons having a common purpose or shared duties: a college of surgeons.

b. An electoral college.

3. A body of clerics living together on an endowment.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin collēgium, association; see COLLEGIUM.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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