culture

¹cul·ture

noun \ˈkəl-chər\

Definition of CULTURE

1

: cultivation, tillage

2

: the act of developing the intellectual and moral faculties especially by education

3

: expert care and training <beauty culture>

4

a : enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training

b : acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational and technical skills

5

a : the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

b : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time <popular culture> <southern culture>

c : the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization <a corporate culture focused on the bottom line>

d : the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic <studying the effect of computers on print culture> <changing the culture of materialism will take time — Peggy O'Mara>

6

: the act or process of cultivating living material (as bacteria or viruses) in prepared nutrient media; also : a product of such cultivation

Examples of CULTURE

1. a study of Greek language and culture
2. Her art shows the influence of pop culture.
3. It's important to learn about other cultures.
4. The company's corporate culture is focused on increasing profits.
5. an area that has been criticized for its lack of culture
6. In this new view, genes allow the human mind to learn, remember, imitate, imprint language, absorb culture and express instincts. —Matt Ridley, Time, 2 June 2003
7. Such an explanation seems sensible to a technologically advanced and ruthlessly competitive culture like our own, where anybody who fails to get at least a college degree … risks spending a life busing tables or telemarketing. —Natalie Angier, New York Times, 2 July 2002
8. There is an Arctic Indian tribe, the Gwich'in—the northernmost Indians in the United States—who base their diet and culture on the caribou. —Jimmy Carter, National Geographic Traveler, October 2001
9. Underlying the question “Is this as good as it gets?” was a female j'accuse—against a consumer culture where values like caring had been severely discounted. —Susan Faludi, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2001

Origin of CULTURE

Middle English, cultivated land, cultivation, from Anglo-French, from Latin cultura, from cultus, past participle

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to CULTURE

Synonyms

accomplishment, civilization, couth, cultivation, polish, refinement

Antonyms

barbarianism, barbarism, philistinism

Related Words

education, erudition, intellectualism, intellectuality, knowledge, learning, literacy, scholarship; cosmopolitanism, sophistication, urbanity; breeding, genteelness, gentility, manners; class, elegance, grace, taste; civility, courteousness, courtesy, politeness

Near Antonyms

ignorance, illiteracy; parochialism, provincialism, rusticity, unsophistication; boorishness, churlishness, clownishness, coarseness, crudeness, vulgarity

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

Rhymes with CULTURE

multure, vulture

²cul·ture

transitive verb \ˈkəl-chər\

cul·turedcul·tur·ing \ˈkəlch-riŋ, ˈkəl-chə-\

Definition of CULTURE

1

: cultivate

2

a : to grow in a prepared medium

b : to start a culture (see ¹culture)from

Examples of CULTURE

1. The virus is cultured in the laboratory from samples of infected tissue.
2. <culture bacteria in laboratory dishes>

Origin of CULTURE

(see ¹culture)

First Known Use: 1510

Related to CULTURE

Synonyms

crop, cultivate, grow, dress, promote, raise, rear, tend

Related Words

breed, produce, propagate; plant, sow; gather, glean, harvest, reap; germinate, quicken, ripen, root, sprout

Near Antonyms

kill; dig, extirpate, pick, pluck, pull (up), uproot; cut, hay, mow

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

culture

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behaviour that is both a result of and integral to the human capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. Culture thus consists of language, ideas, beliefs, customs, taboos, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, ceremonies, and symbols. It has played a crucial role in human evolution, allowing human beings to adapt the environment to their own purposes rather than depend solely on natural selection to achieve adaptive success. Every human society has its own particular culture, or sociocultural system. Variation among cultures is attributable to such factors as differing physical habitats and resources; the range of possibilities inherent in areas such as language, ritual, and social organization; and historical phenomena such as the development of links with other cultures. An individual's attitudes, values, ideals, and beliefs are greatly influenced by the culture (or cultures) in which he or she lives. Culture change takes place as a result of ecological, socioeconomic, political, religious, or other fundamental factors affecting a society. See also culture contact; sociocultural evolution.