Webster's English Dictionary

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society

1. so.ci.ety \s*-'si--*t-e-\ n [MF societe`, fr. L societat-, societas, fr. 
   socius co]mpanion - more at SOCIAL 1: companionship or association with 
   one's fellows : friendly or intimate  intercourse : COMPANY 2: a voluntary 
   association of individuals for common ends; esp : an  organized group 
   working together or periodically meeting because of common interests, 
   beliefs, or profession 3a: an enduring and cooperating social group whose 
   members have developed o rganized patterns of relationships through 
   interaction with one another 3b: a community, nation, or broad grouping of 
   people having common traditio ns, institutions, and collective activities 
   and interests 4a: a part of a community that is a unit distinguishable by 
   particular aims  or standards of living or conduct : a social circle or a 
   group of social circles having a clearly marked identity {move in polite ~} 
   {literary ~} 4b: a part of the community that sets itself apart as a 
   leisure class and t hat regards itself as the arbiter of fashion and 
   manners 5a1: a unit assemblage of plants usu. of a single species or habit 
   within a n association 5a2: ASSOCIATION  5b: the progeny of a pair of 
   insects when constituting a social unit (as a  hive of bees); broadly : an 
   interdependent system of organisms or biological units
2. society aj : of, relating to, or characteristic of fashionable society