I. sə-ˈsī-ə-tē noun
( plural -ties )
Etymology: Middle French societé, from Latin societat-, societas, from socius companion — more at social
Date: 1531
1. : companionship or association with one's fellows : friendly or intimate intercourse : company
2. : a voluntary association of individuals for common ends ; especially : an organized group working together or periodically meeting because of common interests, beliefs, or profession
3.
a. : an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another
b. : a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests
4.
a. : a part of a community that is a unit distinguishable by particular aims or standards of living or conduct : a social circle or a group of social circles having a clearly marked identity
literary society
b. : a part of the community that sets itself apart as a leisure class and that regards itself as the arbiter of fashion and manners
5.
a. : a natural group of plants usually of a single species or habit within an association
b. : the progeny of a pair of insects when constituting a social unit (as a hive of bees) ; broadly : an interdependent system of organisms or biological units
II. adjective
Date: 1693
: of, relating to, or typical of fashionable society