academy

noun

acad·​e·​my ə-ˈka-də-mē 

plural academies

1

a

: a school usually above the elementary level

especially : a private high school

b

: a high school or college in which special subjects or skills are taught

c

: higher education

—used with the

the functions of the academy in modern society

2

capitalized

a

: the school for advanced education founded by Plato

b

: the philosophical doctrines associated with Plato's Academy

3

: a society of learned persons organized to advance art, science, or literature

4

: a body of established opinion widely accepted as authoritative in a particular field

Did you know?

Our word academy comes from the Greek word Akademeia, the name of the park or grove outside of ancient Athens where the philosopher Plato taught his students. Just as schools and parks today are often named after famous persons, the Akademeia had been named in honor of a Greek hero, Akademos.

Synonyms

• academe
• school
• seminary

Examples of academy in a Sentence

an academy of the fine arts

Recent Examples on the Web

The academy in Tampa proved to be a perfect fit given how the Lightning, as an organization, embraces the military and understands the importance in continuing to assist and support active-duty members and veterans. —Tom Layberger, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

The trophy, known to each team as the CIC, is given to the service academy with the best record against the other service academies. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024

Outside of bragging rights for their respective military academies, this year’s game marks the first time since 2017 the winner will have a chance to secure the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, thanks to wins by Army and Navy over Air Force this season. —Ryan Morik, Fox News, 14 Dec. 2024

With host cities for the game mapped out through 2027 and a new 10-year broadcast deal with CBS announced Monday, the path forward the two academies set forth this season is expected to be intact for the long haul. —Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

in sense 2, borrowed from Latin Acadēmīa, borrowed from Greek Akadḗmeia, Akadēmía, from the name of the gymnasium near Athens where Plato taught, from Akádēmos, Attic mythological hero + -eia or -ia -y entry 2; in senses 1, 3, and 4 borrowed from French, Italian, & New Latin; French académie, borrowed from Italian & New Latin; Italian accademia, borrowed from New Latin academia, going back to Latin Acadēmīa

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

academy

noun

acad·​e·​my ə-ˈkad-ə-mē 

plural academies

1

a

: school entry 1 sense 1a

especially : a private high school

b

: an institution for training in special subjects or skills

military academy

2

: an organization of people specializing in knowledge in a particular subject

Etymology

Greek Akadēmeia, the grove outside Athens where Plato had his school

Word Origin

Our word academy comes from the Greek word Akadēmeia, the name of the park or grove outside of ancient Athens where the philosopher Plato taught his students. Just as schools and parks today are often named after famous persons, the Akadēmeia had been named in honor of a Greek hero, Akadēmos.