university

Where does the word "university" come from? It comes from Latin universitas, passing through Medieval Latin and Old French before entering English (1300s).

University’s story begins in Latin: universitas meant “whole; corporation.” 'the whole', from universus; in Roman law any corporation or guild. By 1100s, the word had taken hold in Medieval Latin as universitas. A guild of students or masters; Bologna's university traditionally dates to 1088, and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa's Authentica Habita of the 1150s protected travelling scholars. From there it passed into Old French as université by 1200s. Paris's masters won a royal charter from Philip II in 1200 and papal statutes in 1215. It reached English by 1300s as university. Teaching at Oxford is recorded from 1096, and Cambridge was founded by scholars who left Oxford in 1209. Today, university means an institution of higher education and research that awards degrees.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · classical universitas "whole; corporation", 'the whole', from universus; in Roman law any corporation or guild.
2. Stage 2 · Medieval Latin · 1100s universitas "scholars' guild", a guild of students or masters; Bologna's university traditionally dates to 1088, and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa's Authentica Habita of the 1150s protected travelling scholars.
3. Stage 3 · Old French · 1200s université "university", Paris's masters won a royal charter from Philip II in 1200 and papal statutes in 1215.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1300s university "institution of higher learning", teaching at Oxford is recorded from 1096, and Cambridge was founded by scholars who left Oxford in 1209.