English Explanatory Dictionary

community

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A group sharing common characteristics, such as the same language, law, religion, or tradition.
  2. A residential or religious collective; a commune.
  3. A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.
  4. A group of people interacting by electronic means for educational, professional, social, or other purposes; a virtual community.
  5. The condition of having certain attitudes and interests in common.
  6. Common enjoyment or possession; participation.
  7. Common character; likeness.
  8. Commonness; frequency.
  9. A local area within a county or county borough which is the lowest tier of local government, usually represented by a community council or town council, which is generally equivalent to a civil parish in England.

Pronunciation

/kəˈmjuː.nɪ.ti/ kə-myo͞oʹnə-ti /k(ə)ˈmju.nə.ti/ [k(ə)ˈmju.nə.ɾi] en-us-community.ogg en-ca-community.ogg en-au-community.ogg /kəmˈjunɪʈi/ /kəm(j)ʊˈnɪʈi/

Word forms

community communities communitie

Etymology

From Late Middle English communite, borrowed from Old French communité, comunité, comunete (modern French communauté), from Classical Latin commūnitās (“community; public spirit”), from commūn(is) (“common, ordinary; of or for the community, public”) + -itās. By surface analysis, commun(e) + -ity. Displaced native Old English ġemǣnsċipe. Doublet of communitas.

Antonyms

anticommunity noncommunity

Related words

common commonalty commonship communal commune communication communism communist communitive communiversity

Derived words

aim community anticommunity autonomous community bedroom community biocommunity care in the community climax community communitarian communitarianism communitization communitize community card community cat community centre community chest community college community council community development community garden community group community immunity community interest company community language community manager community note community nurse community of practice community organizer community owned community ownership community payback community pharmacy community policeman community police officer community policing community property community psychiatric nurse community quarantine community resolution community service community spirit community spread communitywide communitywise community work coonmunity cybercommunity discommunity ecocommunity Flemish Community gated community gateway community infracommunity intelligence community intentional community intercommunity international community intracommunity macrocommunity metacommunity
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