# institution

Pronunciation: US say "in-sti-TOO-shuhn" /ˌɪnstɪˈtuːʃn̩/; UK say "in-sti-TYOO-shuhn" /ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃn̩/

## Noun

1. An established organization founded for a particular purpose, especially in education, finance, public service, or charity.
   - Simple: An important organization set up for a special purpose, such as a school, bank, or charity.
   - _The university remains one of the nation's most trusted institutions._
   - _Founded in 1820, the charity grew into a national institution._
2. A custom or practice established within a society or community.
   - Simple: A custom or way of doing things that a society has followed for a long time.
   - _Trial by jury is a cherished institution of democratic societies._
   - _Some social institutions, such as apprenticeship, have faded over time._
3. A place, such as a mental hospital, care home, or prison, where people live to be cared for or are kept confined.
   - Simple: A place like a mental hospital, care home, or prison where people live for care or are kept.
   - _The court ordered that he be placed in a secure institution._
   - _Conditions in these institutions were investigated by inspectors._
4. A place, business, or person that has been part of a community or field for so long that it seems a permanent, familiar feature. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A place or person that has been around so long that everyone knows and loves it.
   - _The seaside café is something of a local institution._
   - _Over the decades, the theater turned into a beloved institution._
5. The building or buildings that house a long-established organization.
   - Simple: The building or buildings where a long-running organization is based.
   - _The fire damaged much of the historic institution._
   - _The institution's east wing was added in the 1900s._
6. The act of establishing or introducing something, such as a law, custom, or system.
   - Simple: The act of starting or setting up something, like a rule or system.
   - _The institution of the new tax sparked widespread protest._
   - _Reformers pushed for the institution of free public schooling._

## Noun

7. A textbook or systematic body of elements or rules, especially one used for instruction. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A textbook or set of basic rules used to teach a subject.

## Other meanings

- (noun) The act by which a bishop commits the spiritual care of a parish to a priest.

## Origin

Latin instituō ("to set up"), made of in- ("in, on") and statuō ("to set up, establish"), produced the noun institūtiō, which reached English by way of Old French and Middle English institucioun. It amounts to "institute" plus "-ion."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/institution (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).