Etymology Map
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University

4 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means an institution of higher education and research that awards degrees

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

1
Stage 1 of 4
universitas
Latin · classical
"whole; corporation"
'the whole', from universus; in Roman law any corporation or guild
2
Stage 2 of 4
universitas
Medieval Latin · 1100s
"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 of 4
université
Old French · 1200s
"university"
Paris's masters won a royal charter from Philip II in 1200 and papal statutes in 1215
4
Stage 4 of 4
university
English · 1300s
"institution of higher learning"
teaching at Oxford is recorded from 1096, and Cambridge was founded by scholars who left Oxford in 1209
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Read the full story

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.