a·cad·e·my (?-k?d??-m?)n. pl. a·cad·e·mies 1. A school for special instruction.2. A secondary or college-preparatory school, especially a private one.3. a. The academic community; academe: “When there’s moral leadership from the White House and from the academy, people tend to adjust” (Jesse Jackson).b. Higher education in general. Used with the.c. A society of scholars, scientists, or artists.4. Academya. Plato’s school for advanced education and the first institutional school of philosophy.b. Platonism.c. The disciples of Plato.[Latin Acad?m?a, the school where Plato taught, from Greek Akad?meia.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.academy (??kæd?m?) n, pl -mies1. (Education) an institution or society for the advancement of literature, art, or science2. a school for training in a particular skill or profession: a military academy. 3. (Education) a secondary school: now used only as part of a name, and often denoting a private school[C16: via Latin from Greek akad?meia name of the grove where Plato taught, named after the legendary hero Akad?mos]Academy (??kæd?m?) n1. (Placename) a. the grove or garden near Athens where Plato taught in the late 4th century bcb. the school of philosophy founded by Platoc. the members of this school and their successors2. short for the French Academy, Royal AcademyCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014a?cad?e?my (??kæd ? mi) n., pl. -mies. 1. a secondary or high school, esp. a private one. 2. a school or college for special instruction or training in a subject: a military academy. 3. an association for the advancement of art, literature, or science. 4. a group of authorities and leaders in a field of scholarship, art, etc., who are often permitted to dictate standards, prescribe methods, and criticize new ideas. 5. the Academy, a. the Platonic school of philosophy or its adherents. b. the public grove in Athens where Plato taught. [1470?80;