institution
part of speech
noun (an institution, institutions)
meaning for a pupil
1) An institution is a large organisation such as a university, bank, hospital, museum or school. tree →
2) An institution is a custom or tradition that has existed for a long time, such as marriage or Sunday lunch. tree →
3) (old, sometimes negative) An institution can mean a big building where people were kept and cared for, like an old hospital or children's home. tree →
4) (informal, joking) A person or place that has been around a long time and everyone knows is «an institution». tree →
sense in the lessons
In citizenship and history lessons, institutions are important organisations like Parliament, courts and schools. In everyday life, the local fish and chip shop may be «a local institution». Phrases: financial institution, a local institution, educational institution, public institution.
examples
- The university is an old institution. tree →
- Banks are financial institutions. tree →
- The museum is a national institution. tree →
- Fish and chips on Friday is a family institution. tree →
- The corner shop has become a local institution. tree →
- The government is the most important public institution. tree →
- Long ago, some children were sent to live in institutions. tree →
- The most famous of these institutions was the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, which was held in general repute all over the world. tree →
note
Countable noun. The adjective is «institutional». It is a fairly formal word; in speech people may just say «organisation» or «place». In a figurative sense, calling a person «an institution» is affectionate, not an insult.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «institution» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.