[school] n [ME scole, fr. OE scol, fr. L schola, fr. Gk schole leisure, discussion, lecture, school; perh. akin to Gk echein to hold--more at scheme] (bef. 12c) 1: an organization that provides instruction: as a: an institution for the teaching of children b: college, university c (1): a group of scholars and teachers pursuing knowledge together that with similar groups constituted a medieval university (2): one of the four faculties of a medieval university (3): an institution for specialized higher education often associated with a university "the ~ of engineering" d: an establishment offering specialized instruction "a secretarial ~" "driving ~s"
2. a (1): the process of teaching or learning esp. at a school (2): attendance at a school (3): a session of a school b: a school building c: the students attending a school; also: its teachers and students
3: a source of knowledge "experience was his ~"
4. a: persons who hold a common doctrine or follow the same teacher (as in philosophy, theology, or medicine) "the Aristotelian ~" b: a group of artists under a common influence c: persons of similar opinions or behavior "other ~s of thought"
5: the regulations governing military drill of individuals or units; also: the exercises carried out "the ~ of the soldier"
[2]school vt (15c) 1 a: to teach or drill in a specific knowledge or skill "well ~ed in languages" b: to discipline or habituate to something "~ oneself in patience"
2: to educate in an institution of learning syn see teach [3]school n [ME scole, fr. MD schole; akin to OE scolu multitude and prob. to OE scylian to separate--more at skill] (15c): a large number of fish or aquatic animals of one kind swimming together [4]school vi (1597): to swim or feed in a school "bluefish are ~ing"