[so.cial] adj [ME, fr. L socialis, fr. socius companion, ally, associate; akin to OE secg man, companion, L sequi to follow--more at sue] (14c) 1: involving allies or confederates "the Social War between the Athenians and their allies"
2. a: marked by or passed in pleasant companionship with one's friends or associates "leads a very full ~ life" b: sociable c: of, relating to, or designed for sociability "a ~ club"
3: of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society "~ institutions"
4. a: tending to form cooperative and interdependent relationships with others of one's kind: gregarious b: living and breeding in more or less organized communities "~ insects" c of a plant: tending to grow in groups or masses so as to form a pure stand
5. a: of, relating to, or based on rank or status in a particular society "a member of our ~ set" b: of, relating to, or characteristic of the upper classes c: formal
[2]social n (1870): sociable