institution

See also: Institution

English

Etymology

From Old French institution, from Latin institūtiō, from instituō (“to set up”), from in- (“in, on”) + statuō (“to set up, establish”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃən/, /ˌɪnstɪˈtʃuːʃən/
• IPA^(key): /ˌɪnstɪˈtuːʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

institution (countable and uncountable, plural institutions)

1. A custom or practice of a society or community.

   The institution of marriage is present in many cultures but its details vary widely across them.

2. An organization similarly long established and respected, particularly one involved with education, public service, or charity work.

   The University of the South Pacific is the only internationally-accredited institution of higher education in Oceania.

3. The building or buildings which house such an organization.

   He's been in an institution since the crash.

4. (informal) Other places or businesses similarly long established and respected.

   Over time, the local pub has become something of an institution.

   • 2009 February 19, Gareth Lewis, Southern Daily Echo:

     "They have turned a great old English institution into a shameful clip-joint. It's a shuddering, howling tragedy."

5. (informal) A person similarly long established in a place, position, or field.

   She's not just any old scholar; she is an institution.

6. The act of instituting something.

   The institution of higher speed limits was a popular move but increased the severity of crashes.

7. (Christianity) The act by which a bishop commits a cure of souls to a priest.
8. (obsolete) That which institutes or instructs, particularly a textbook or system of elements or rules.

Synonyms

• establishment

Derived terms

• academic institution
• educational institution
• research institution

Related terms

• institute
• institutional
• institutionalism
• institutionalist

Translations

established organisation

• Arabic: مُؤَسَّسَة (ar) f (muʔassasa)
• Bulgarian: учреждение (bg) n (učreždenie), институция f (institucija)
• Catalan: institució (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 機關／机关 (zh) (jīguān), 机关 (zh) (jīguān), 機構／机构 (zh) (jīgòu), 机构 (zh) (jīgòu)

• Czech: instituce (cs) f
• Danish: institution c
• Dutch: instelling (nl)
• Esperanto: institucio
• Finnish: instituutio (fi), laitos (fi)
• French: institution (fr) f
• Galician: institución (gl)
• German: Institution (de) f
• Greek: ίδρυμα (el) n (ídryma)
• Hungarian: intézmény (hu)
• Icelandic: stofnun f
• Indonesian: institusi (id)
• Italian: istituzione (it)
• Japanese: 機構 (ja) (きこう, kikō), 機関 (ja) (きかん, kikan)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latvian: iestāde f
• Persian: سازمان (fa) (sâzmân)
• Portuguese: instituição (pt) f
• Romanian: instituție (ro) f
• Russian: учрежде́ние (ru) n (učreždénije), заведе́ние (ru) n (zavedénije), организа́ция (ru) f (organizácija), ве́домство (ru) n (védomstvo)
• Scottish Gaelic: stèidheachadh m
• Serbo-Croatian: институција f (institucija)
• Spanish: institución (es) f
• Swahili: taasisi (sw), chuo (sw)
• Swedish: institut (sv) n
• Tagalog: tatagin
• Thai: สถาบัน (th) (sà-tǎa-ban)
• Turkish: müessese (tr), kuruluş (tr), kurum (tr)
• Ukrainian: устано́ва (ustanóva), за́клад (základ), організа́ція (uk) (orhanizácija)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

custom or practice of a society or community

• Bulgarian: практика (bg) f (praktika)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: instituce (cs) f
• Danish: institution c
• Finnish: instituutio (fi)
• German: Institution (de) f
• Greek: θεσμός (el) m (thesmós)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: intézmény (hu)
• Indonesian: institusi (id)
• Persian: رسم (fa) (rasm)
• Russian: институ́т (ru) m (institút)
• Tagalog: gawiin
• Ukrainian: інститу́т (instytút)

person long established with a certain place or position

• Bulgarian: институция f (institucija)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: instituutio (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Institution (de) f
• Greek: μορφή (el) f (morfí), προσωπικότητα (el) f (prosopikótita)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• “institution”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “institution”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “institution”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• "institution" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 168.

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Danish

Etymology

From Latin institutio.

Noun

institution c (singular definite institutionen, plural indefinite institutioner)

1. institution

Inflection

Declension of institution

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	institution	institutionen	institutioner	institutionerne
genitive	institutions	institutionens	institutioners	institutionernes

Derived terms

• institutionalisere
• institutionalisering
• institutionel
• institutionsbarn
• institutionskøkken
• institutionsophold
• institutionsplads
• institutionspræg
• institutionstakst
• uddannelsesinstitution
• undervisningsinstitution

References

• “institution” in Den Danske Ordbog

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French

Etymology

From Latin institutionem (accusative of institutio).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

institution f (plural institutions)

1. institution

Further reading

• “institution”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Swedish

Noun

institution c

1. an institution (an established organization)
2. an institution (a habit)
3. an institution (a person)
4. a department (at a university)

   datavetenskapliga institutionen

   department of computer science

   institutionen för fysik

   department of physics

Declension

Declension of institution
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	institution	institutionen	institutioner	institutionerna
Genitive	institutions	institutionens	institutioners	institutionernas

Related terms

• instituera
• institut
• institutionalisera
• institutionell
• kulturinstitution