universitas
1
9.9
A group of people in one trade who join to protect their rights
- noun
- Archaic
:
universidad
- Universitas was the designator for various organized bodies; there was a universitas of weavers, a universitas of goldsmiths.
Examples
-
In medieval Europe, a guild became known as a universitas to represent the tradespeople of a particular craft.
-
During the Renaissance, many cities established a universitas to enhance the collective knowledge and skills of their citizens.
-
The formation of a universitas provided a legal framework for the cooperation of scholars and professors.
Synonyms
university
vsuniversitas
∞
1.0
A place where people study after school and get degrees
emphasizes a corporate legal body or guild sense in historical contexts
Surface Forms
universitas singular
universitates plural
Etymology
Universitas comes from Latin parts uni- 'one' and universus 'whole'. Think of a group that acts as one, so in the Middle Ages a universitas was a legal group or guild that joined together to protect its members.