From Middle English universite from Anglo-Norman université, from Old French universitei, from Medieval Latin - stem of universitas, in juridical and Late Latin - "A number of persons associated into one body, a society, company, community, guild, corporation, etc"; in Latin -, "the whole, aggregate," from universus ("whole, entire").

• (RP) IPA: /juːnɪˈvɜːsəti/
• (America) IPA: /junɪˈvɚsəti/, /junɪˈvɚsɪti/

university

1. Institution of higher education (typically accepting students from the age of about 17 or 18, depending on country, but in some exceptional cases able to take younger students) where subjects are studied and researched in depth and degrees are offered.

   She's studying mathematics at university.

   The only reason why I haven't gone to university is because I can't afford it.

   • 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond‎:

     During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]

2. (obsolete) The entirety of a group; all members of a class.

• academy
• college
• institute
• uni
• varsity

• universal
• universe

• French: université, fac, univ
• German: Universität, Hochschule, Uni
• Italian: università, accademia, istituto, politecnico, collegio, ateneo
• Portuguese: universidade
• Russian: университе́т
• Spanish: universidad