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Definition Essay - The Many Meanings of Community

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Definition Essay - The Many Meanings of Community

Community is a common tool of the English language to categorize people and put unique individuals into a single group. However, what is the real meaning of community? Community can be used as a noun or an adjective and it has a plethora of meanings in the dictionary.

The Oxford English Dictionary defined the word community in two pages worth of different meanings. The earlier definitions (from the 17th century) defined community as “the quality of appertaining to or being held by all in common; joint or common ownership, tenure, liability” and a “common character, quality in common, commonness, agreement, identity.” Then in the later definitions (used in later times like in …show more content…

In looking through the dictionary there are always the common definitions that would be expected, but there are also the definitions from left field that are so odd and unforeseen. Some of the unforeseen definitions found in the dictionary were “a religious society, a monastic body” and “a common prostitute” (Chamber's Twentieth Century Dictionary). It is hard to find an example in modern English that uses the word community as meaning a common prostitute on the street. Another odd definition was “a group of gregarious animals spec. in Ecology, a group of plants or animals growing or living together in natural conditions or inhabiting specified area” (www.dictionary.com). This definition, however, makes much more sense than the common prostitute because it ties in with the earlier definitions of common characteristics.

With all the different definitions of community one in particular stuck out, “a body of nations acknowledging unity of purpose or common interest” (Chamber's Twentieth Century Dictionary). This definition is quite easy to apply to the different aspects of our government and what other governments share them, as it has been covered quite in depth lately. The different beliefs of nations cause them to go to war with one another and to attack each other. For example, when the terrorist attacked the U.S. on September 11th and when the U.S. went to war with Iraq because the American held different beliefs with them. This war

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