Transitive verb

School

1. — WHERE CHILDREN LEARN a place where children are taught:

e.g. Which school do you go to?

| There are several good schools in the area.

School bus / building, etc., the school hall / to / from school:

e.g. Mum takes us to school every morning.

2. — TIME AT SCHOOL

a) a day’s work at school:

e.g. School begins at 8:30.

| before / after school

e.g. I’ll see you after school.

b) the time during your life when you go to a school:

e.g. After two years of school, he still couldn ’ t read.

| start / leave school

e.g. She started school when she was four.

| I left school two years ago.

3. — UNIVERSITY

a) a university, or the time when you study there:

e.g. Where did you go to school?

| law / medical / graduate, etc. school

e.g. After two years of medical school, I thought I knew everything.

b) a department that teaches a particular subject at a university: [+ of] the School of Oriental Languages.

4. — ONE SUBJECT a place where a particular subject or skill is taught:

e.g. a language school in Brighton;

| the Pastern Riding School;

| School of Motoring.

I. — at school

a) in the school building:

e.g. I can get some work done while the kids are at school.

b) attending a school, rather than being at college or university or having a job:

e.g. We ’ ve got two children at school, and one at university.

II. — in school

a) in the school building:

e.g. Sandra ’ s not in school today — she ’ s not well.

b) attending a school or university as opposed to having a job:

e.g. Are you boys still in school?

5. — ART a number of people who are considered as a group because of their style of work:

e.g. the Impressionist School.

6. — school of thought an opinion or way of thinking about something that is shared by a group of people:

e.g. There are two schools of thought on drinking red wine with fish.

7. — of the old school having old-fashioned values or qualities, especially good ones:

e.g. an officer of the old school.

8. — SEA ANIMALS a large group of fish, WHALES, DOLPHINS, etc. that are swimming together:

e.g. a school of whales.

9. — the school of hard knocks old-fashioned the difficult or unpleasant experiences you have in life [Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 1995].

Webster’s New World College Dictionary offers the following origin for the notion of school:

school [sku:l] noun

1. a place or institution for teaching and learning; establishment for education; specif.,

a. an institution for teaching children,

b. a place for training and instruction in some special field, skill, etc.:

e.g. a dancing school,

c. ☆ a college or university,

d. in the Middle Ages, a seminary of logic, metaphysics, and theology;

2. the building or buildings, classrooms, laboratories, etc. of any such establishment;

3. all the students, or pupils, and teachers at any such establishment;

4. the period of instruction at any such establishment; regular session of teaching:

e.g. the date when school begins;

5. a. attendance at a school:

e.g. to miss school for a week,

b. the process of formal training and instruction at a school; formal education; schooling;

6. any situation, set of circumstances, or experience through which one gains knowledge, training, or discipline:

e.g. the school of hard knocks;

7. a particular division of an institution of learning, esp. of a university:

e.g. the school of law;

8. a. a group of people held together by the same teachings, beliefs, opinions, methods, etc.; followers or disciples of a particular teacher, leader, or creed:

e.g. the Impressionist school,

b. a group of artists associated with a specified place:

e.g. the Barbizon School;

9. a way of life; style of customs, manners, etc.:

e.g. a gentleman of the old school.

Origin: ME ‘scole’ < OE ‘scol’ < L ‘schola’, ‘school’ < Gr ‘scholē’, ‘leisure’, that in which leisure is employed, discussion, philosophy, school < IE base *‘seĝh-’, to hold fast, overcome > scheme.

transitive verb

1. to train, as at school; teach; instruct; educate,

2. to discipline or control:

e.g. schooled herself in composure,

3. ARCHAIC to reprimand.