/ əˈkædəmi; NAmE / noun ( pl. -ies )
1.
a school or college for special training :
the Royal Academy of Music
a police / military academy
2.
(usually Academy ) a type of official organization which aims to encourage and develop art, literature, science, etc. :
the Royal Academy of Arts
3.
a secondary school in Scotland or a private school in the US
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (denoting the garden where Plato taught): from French académie or Latin academia , from Greek akadēmeia , from Akadēmos , the hero after whom Plato's garden was named.