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institution - 5 dictionary results
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in⋅sti⋅tu⋅tion

  [in-sti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-]
Use institution in a Sentence
–noun
1. an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, esp. one of a public, educational, or charitable character: This college is the best institution of its kind.
2. the building devoted to such work.
3. a public or private place for the care or confinement of inmates, esp. mental patients or other disabled or handicapped persons.
4. Sociology. a well-established and structured pattern of behavior or of relationships that is accepted as a fundamental part of a culture, as marriage: the institution of the family.
5. any established law, custom, etc.
6. any familiar, long-established person, thing, or practice; fixture.
7. the act of instituting or setting up; establishment: the institution of laws.
8. Ecclesiastical.
a. the origination of the Eucharist, and enactment of its observance, by Christ.
b. the investment of a member of the clergy with a spiritual charge.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L institūtiōn- (s. of institūtiō). See institute, -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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in·sti·tu·tion   (ĭn'stĭ-tōō'shən, -tyōō'-)   
n.  
  1. The act of instituting.
    1. A custom, practice, relationship, or behavioral pattern of importance in the life of a community or society: the institutions of marriage and the family.
    2. Informal One long associated with a specified place, position, or function.
    3. An established organization or foundation, especially one dedicated to education, public service, or culture.
    4. The building or buildings housing such an organization.
    5. A place for the care of persons who are destitute, disabled, or mentally ill.
    1. An established organization or foundation, especially one dedicated to education, public service, or culture.
    2. The building or buildings housing such an organization.
    3. A place for the care of persons who are destitute, disabled, or mentally ill.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Institution

In`sti*tu"tion\, n. [L. institutio: cf. F. institution.]

1. The act or process of instituting; as: (a) Establishment; foundation; enactment; as, the institution of a school.

The institution of God's law is described as being established by solemn injunction. --Hooker. (b) Instruction; education. [Obs.] --Bentley. (c) (Eccl. Law) The act or ceremony of investing a clergyman with the spiritual part of a benefice, by which the care of souls is committed to his charge. --Blackstone.

2. That which instituted or established; as: (a) Established order, method, or custom; enactment; ordinance; permanent form of law or polity.

The nature of our people, Our city's institutions. --Shak. (b) An established or organized society or corporation; an establishment, especially of a public character, or affecting a community; a foundation; as, a literary institution; a charitable institution; also, a building or the buildings occupied or used by such organization; as, the Smithsonian Institution. (c) Anything forming a characteristic and persistent feature in social or national life or habits.

We ordered a lunch (the most delightful of English institutions, next to dinner) to be ready against our return. --Hawthorne.

3. That which institutes or instructs; a textbook; a system of elements or rules; an institute. [Obs.]

There is another manuscript, of above three hundred years old, . . . being an institution of physic. --Evelyn.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : institution
Spanish: institución,
German: die Errichtung,
Japanese: 設立
More Translations »

institution 
1551, "established law or practice," from O.Fr. institution, from L. institutionem (nom. institutio), noun of state from institutus (see institute). Meaning "establishment or organization for the promotion of some charity" is from 1707. Institutionalize "to put into institutional life" (usually depreciatory) is from 1905.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: in·sti·tu·tion
Function: noun
1 : the act of instituting
2 : a significant practice, relationship, or organization in a society or culture institution of marriage>
3 : an established organization or corporation esp. of a public character; specifically : a facility for the treatment or training of persons with mental deficiencies
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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