[Ger. guh-zel-shahft] 
[Ger. -shahf-tuh
n] . (often initial capital letter) | 1. | an association of individuals for common goals, as for entertainment, intellectual, or cultural purposes or for business reasons. |
| 2. | Sociology. a society or group characterized chiefly by formal organization, impersonal relations, the absence of generally held or binding norms, and a detachment from traditional and sentimental concerns, and often tending to be rationalistic and secular in outlook. |