society

Etymology

1530s; borrowed from Middle French societé, from Old French societé, from Latin societās, societātem (“fellowship, association, alliance, union, community”), from socius (“associated, allied; partner, companion, ally”), from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷ-yo- (“companion”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”).

noun

1. (countable) A long-standing group of people sharing cultural aspects such as language, dress, norms of behavior and artistic forms.
   This society has been known for centuries for its colorful clothing and tight-knit family structure.
   He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record. 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)?”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 162
2. (countable) A group of people who meet from time to time to engage in a common interest; an association or organization.
   It was then that they decided to found a society of didgeridoo-playing unicyclists.
3. (countable) The sum total of all voluntary interrelations between individuals.
   The gap between Western and Eastern societies seems to be narrowing.
   Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. Businesspeople have every right to lobby governments, and civil servants to take jobs in the private sector. 2013-08-10, Schumpeter, “Cronies and capitols”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848
4. (uncountable) The people of one’s country or community taken as a whole.
   Our global society develops in fits and starts.
   If successful, Edison and Ford—in 1914—would move society away from the ever more expensive and then universally known killing hazards of gasoline cars:[…]. 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal Combustion
   Libertarian paternalism is the view that, because the way options are presented to citizens affects what they choose, society should present options in a way that “nudges” our intuitive selves to make choices that are more consistent with what our more deliberative selves would have chosen if they were in control. 2012-01, Steven Sloman, “The Battle Between Intuition and Deliberation”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, page 74
5. (uncountable) High society.
   Smith was first introduced into society at the Duchess of Grand Fenwick's annual rose garden party.
   What a charming amusement for young people this is, Mr. Darcy! There is nothing like dancing after all. I consider it as one of the first refinements of polished society. 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
6. (countable, law) A number of people joined by mutual consent to deliberate, determine and act toward a common goal.