- (n.) The person to whom an estate is first given by destination or limitation.
- (v.t.) To ground or establish in principles and rudiments; to educate; to instruct.
- (a.) That which is instituted, established or fixed, as a law, habit or custom.
- (n.) An institution; a society established for the promotion of learning, art, science, etc.; a college; as, the Institute of Technology; also, a building owned or occupied by such an institute; as, the Cooper Institute.
- (a.) The act of instituting; institution.
- (v.t.) To set up; to establish; to ordain; as, to institute laws, rules, etc.
- (a.) Hence: An elementary and necessary principle; a precept, maxim or rule, recognized as established and authoritative; usually in the plural, a collection of such principles and precepts; especially, a comprehensive summary of legal principles and decisions; as, the Institutes of Justinian; Coke's Institutes of the Laws of England. Cf. Digest, n.
- (v.t.) To originate and establish; to found; to organize; as, to institute a court or a society.
- (p.a.) Established; organized; founded.
- (v.t.) To invest with the spiritual charge of a benefice or the care of souls.
- (v.t.) To nominate; to appoint.
- (v.t.) To begin; to commence; to set on foot; as, to institute an inquiry; to institute a suit.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). institute. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/institute/definitions/2022316 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "institute" http://smartdefine.org/institute/definitions/2022316 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, institute, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/institute/definitions/2022316>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "institute" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/institute/definitions/2022316> |