— universitarian /yooh'neuh verr'si tair"ee euhn/ , n. , adj.
/yooh'neuh verr"si tee/ , n. , pl. universities .
an institution of learning of the highest level, having a college of liberal arts and a program of graduate studies together with several professional schools, as of theology, law, medicine, and engineering, and authorized to confer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Continental European universities usually have only graduate or professional schools.
[ 1250-1300; ME universite universitas, LL: guild, corporation, L: totality, equiv. to univers ( us ) (see UNIVERSE) + -itas -ITY ]