Entry Word: society

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest <a debate society> — see association 2
2 human beings in general <society benefits as a whole by the practice of good manners> — see people 1
3 the feeling of closeness and friendship that exists between companions <an evening marked by a lovely dinner and the society of our closest friends> — see companionship
4 the way people live at a particular time and place <a pre-automobile society in which ordinary people rarely strayed far from home> — see civilization 1