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

Yet the company manages several developer academies to integrate Indonesian developers into the iOS ecosystem. —Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 17 Apr. 2024

Barron, who turned 18 in March, has been attending a private academy in Florida and is reportedly considering his post-graduation options with the help of his mom, former first lady Melania Trump. —Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024

The national academies launched an ongoing forum on TMJ disorders last year. —Anna Werner, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024

Skip Barber’s coaches teach an introductory driving academy course intended to transfer racing techniques to public roads. —Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2024

Baseball has, for more than a century and a half, been a bridge between the United States and Japan, since an American educator from Maine introduced the sport to his students at an academy in Tokyo in 1872. —Jill Cowan, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024

On 2021, a police academy in Liaoning province gained online traction for auctioning off dogs that failed to qualify in the police dog training program. —Jessie Yeung, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024

In response to an inquiry from the paper, the LAPD confirmed that the foreign officers had gone through the department’s basic academy training course, completing 833 of the 912 hours of standard training that recruits go through before graduating. —Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024

In the past decade Dre has also focused on philanthropy, donating $70 million to USC to create a new academy there and $10 million to Compton High School. —Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 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.