Institution

How to spell institution

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce institution

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does institution mean?

1. nounAn established organisation founded for a religious, educational, social, financial, or governmental purpose.
2. nounAn established custom, practice, or relationship regarded as a fixed part of society.

Institution in a sentence

• The bank is the oldest financial institution in the city.

• The Sunday roast remains a much-loved family institution.

• She donated her papers to a respected research institution.

• Marriage is treated by many as a lasting social institution.

Where does institution come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin institutio, meaning 'an arrangement', 'a setting up', or 'instruction'. That noun grew from the verb instituere, which combined the prefix in-, meaning 'in' or 'into', with statuere, meaning 'to set up' or 'establish'; statuere itself rests on the root stare, 'to stand'. So at heart an institution is something that has been firmly set in place to stand the test of time. English took the word in through Old French during the 1300s, when it referred chiefly to the act of establishing something or to formal instruction, and only later did it settle into our modern senses of an established organisation and an established custom. The same stare and statuere roots stand behind relatives such as 'statute', 'statue', and 'constitution', which is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps the -stitu- block intact.

How the word is built

• in- (in, into)
• statu- (from statuere: to set up, establish)
• -tion (noun of action/result)