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

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Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

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

Rhymes with CULTURE

multure, vulture