classes

class

[klas, klahs]
noun
1.
a number of persons or things regarded as forming a group by reason of common attributes, characteristics, qualities, or traits; kind; sort: a class of objects used in daily living.
2.
a group of students meeting regularly to study a subject under the guidance of a teacher: The class had arrived on time for the lecture.
3.
the period during which a group of students meets for instruction.
4.
a meeting of a group of students for instruction.
5.
a classroom.
6.
a number of pupils in a school, or of students in a college, pursuing the same studies, ranked together, or graduated in the same year: She graduated from Ohio State, class of '72.
7.
a social stratum sharing basic economic, political, or cultural characteristics, and having the same social position: Artisans form a distinct class in some societies.
8.
the system of dividing society; caste.
9.
social rank, especially high rank.
10.
the members of a given group in society, regarded as a single entity.
11.
any division of persons or things according to rank or grade: Hotels were listed by class, with the most luxurious ones listed first.
12.
excellence; exceptional merit: She's a good performer, but she lacks class.
13.
Hinduism. any of the four social divisions, the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Shudra, of Hindu society; varna. Compare caste ( def 2 ).
14.
Informal. elegance, grace, or dignity, as in dress and behavior: He may be a slob, but his brother has real class.
15.
any of several grades of accommodations available on ships, airplanes, and the like: We bought tickets for first class.
16.
Informal. the best or among the best of its kind: This new plane is the class of the wide-bodied airliners.
17.
Biology. the usual major subdivision of a phylum or division in the classification of organisms, usually consisting of several orders.
18.
British University. any of three groups into which candidates for honors degrees are divided according to merit on the basis of final examinations.
19.
drafted or conscripted soldiers, or persons available for draft or conscription, all of whom were born in the same year.
20.
Grammar, form class.
21.
Ecclesiastical, classis.
22.
(in early Methodism) one of several small companies, each composed of about 12 members under a leader, into which each society or congregation was divided.
23.
Statistics. a group of measurements that fall within a specified interval.
24.
Mathematics. a set; a collection.
25.
the classes, the higher ranks of society, as distinguished from the masses.
adjective
26.
Informal. of high quality, integrity, status, or style: class players on a mediocre team.
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an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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verb (used with object)
27.
to place or arrange in a class; classify: to class justice with wisdom.
verb (used without object)
28.
to take or have a place in a particular class: those who class as believers.
Verb phrases
29.
class up, Informal. to improve the quality, tone, or status of; add elegance, dignity, style, etc., to: The new carpet and curtains really class up this room.
Origin:
1590–1600; earlier classis, plural classes < Latin: class, division, fleet, army; singular class back formation from plural

Related forms
class·a·ble, adjective
class·er, noun
mis·class, verb
re·class, verb (used with object)
un·class·a·ble, adjective
un·classed, adjective
well-classed, adjective

Can be confused: cast, caste, class.

Synonyms
27. group, categorize, type, rank, rate.

Usage note
See collective noun.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

clas·sis

[klas-is]
noun, plural clas·ses [klas-eez] (in certain Reformed churches)
1.
the organization of pastors and elders that governs a group of local churches; a presbytery.
2.
the group of churches governed by such an organization.
Origin:
1585–95; < Latin: class

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To Classes
Collins
World English Dictionary
class (klɑːs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a collection or division of people or things sharing a common characteristic, attribute, quality, or property
2.  a group of persons sharing a similar social position and certain economic, political, and cultural characteristics
3.  (in Marxist theory) a group of persons sharing the same relationship to the means of production
4.  a.  the pattern of divisions that exist within a society on the basis of rank, economic status, etc
 b.  (as modifier): the class struggle; class distinctions
5.  a.  a group of pupils or students who are taught and study together
 b.  a meeting of a group of students for tuition
6.  chiefly (US) a group of students who graduated in a specified year: the class of '53
7.  (Brit) (in combination and as modifier) a grade of attainment in a university honours degree: second-class honours
8.  first class second class See also third class one of several standards of accommodation in public transport
9.  a.  informal excellence or elegance, esp in dress, design, or behaviour: that girl's got class
 b.  (as modifier): a class act
10.  a.  outstanding speed and stamina in a racehorse
 b.  (as modifier): the class horse in the race
11.  biology any of the taxonomic groups into which a phylum is divided and which contains one or more orders. Amphibia, Reptilia, and Mammalia are three classes of phylum Chordata
12.  maths, logic
 a.  another name for set
 b.  proper class a class which cannot itself be a member of other classes
13.  in a class of its own, in a class by oneself unequalled; unparalleled
 
—vb
14.  to have or assign a place within a group, grade, or class
 
[C17: from Latin classis class, rank, fleet; related to Latin calāre to summon]
 
'classable
 
—adj
 
'classer
 
—n

classis (ˈklæsɪs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n , pl classes
1.  a governing body of elders or pastors
2.  the district or group of local churches directed by such a body
 
[C16: from Latin; see class]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

class
c.1600, from Fr. classe, from L. classis, one of the six orders into which Servius Tullius divided the Roman people for the purposes of taxation, traditionally originally "the people of Rome under arms," and thus akin to calare "to call (to arms)" (see calendar). School
and university sense (1650s) is from the notion of a form or lecture reserved to a certain level of scholars. Natural history sense is from 1753. Meaning "a division of society according to status" is from 1772. The verb is first recorded 1705. Class-consciousness (1903) is from Ger. klassenbewusst.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

class (klās)
n.
A taxonomic category ranking below a phylum or division and above an order.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
class   (klās)  Pronunciation Key 
A taxonomic category of organisms ranking above an order and below a phylum or division. In modern taxonomic schemes, the names of classes end in -phyceae for the various groups of algae, -mycetes for fungi, and -opsida for plants (as in Liliopsida, the class of plants also termed monocotyledons). The names of classes belonging to phyla of the animal kingdom, however, are formed in various ways, as Osteichthyes the bony fishes, Aves, the birds, and Mammalia, the mammals, all of which are classes belonging to the subphylum Vertebrata (the vertebrates) in the phylum Chordata. See Table at taxonomy.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

class definition


A group of people sharing the same social, economic, or occupational status. The term class usually implies a social and economic hierarchy, in which those of higher class standing have greater status, privilege, prestige, and authority. Western societies have traditionally been divided into three classes: the upper or leisure class, the middle class (bourgeoisie), and the lower or working class. For Marxists, the significant classes are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

class definition


In biology, the classification beneath a phylum and above an order. (See Linnean classification.)

Note: Mammals, reptiles, and insects are classes.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

class definition


  1. n.
    high style; elegance. : The dame's got class, but no brains.
  2. mod.
    first-rate; high-class. : This was a class suburb just a few years ago.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
class

  1. classic

  2. classical

  3. classification

  4. classified

CLASS
cross-chain LORAN atmospheric sounding system
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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