University Meaning
/junɪˈvɜːsəti/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn institution of higher education that provides facilities for teaching, research, and the conferral of academic degrees across undergraduate, graduate, and often professional levels.
nounThe entirety of a group; all members of a class.
Sentence Examples
You met him at the university?
From the moment that I knew that the university existed, I've wanted to go there.
Is there a university in this town?
CEFR Practice Quiz
She enrolled in the local ____ to study medicine and become a doctor.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She is planning to attend a local ____ next year to study medicine and eventually become a professional doctor today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English universite (“institution of higher learning, body of persons constituting a university”) from Anglo-Norman université, from Old French universitei, from Medieval Latin stem of universitas, in juridical and Late Latin "a number of persons associated into one body, a society, company, community, guild, corporation, etc"; in Latin, "the whole, aggregate," from universus (“whole, entire”). By surface analysis, universe + -ity.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant[…]"
— 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond:
"Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete. […] EdX is taking yet another tack, selling its MOOC technology to universities like Stanford, both to create their own MOOC offerings and to make physically attending university more attractive, by augmenting existing teaching."
— 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845, archived from the original on 04 Apr 2021:
"The most compelling stories of whether university is worth it are examples where a university education lifts the economic standing of a poor or disadvantaged student to a higher socioeconomic position."
— 2021, Harvey P. Weingarten, “Is Going to University Worth It?”, in Nothing Less than Great: Reforming Canada’s Universities, Toronto, Ont.; Buffalo, N.Y.; London: University of Toronto Press, →ISBN, page 23:
"The NIAID supports projects at universities and research organizations around the United States as well as a network of 21 NIAID labs across the country."
— 2023 August 2, Ben Tinker, Meg Tirrell and Brenda Goodman, “New director named at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases after Fauci’s retirement”, in CNN, archived from the original on 13 Jul 2025:
"[I]t appears a pity to banish the women and children. But to this can be opposed that holy act of your Majesty which expelled the Moriscos, and the children of the Moriscos, for the reason given in the royal edict. Whenever any detestable crime is committed by any university, it is well to punish all."
— 1841, George Borrow, The Zincali - Or, An Account of the Gypsies of Spain:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She enrolled in the local ____ to study medicine and become a doctor.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She is planning to attend a local ____ next year to study medicine and eventually become a professional doctor today.