# society

> English word · Noun · IPA /səˈsaɪ.ə.ti/ · frequency rank #700

## Definitions
1. A long-standing group of people sharing cultural aspects such as language, dress, norms of behavior and artistic forms.
2. A group of people who meet from time to time to engage in a common interest; an association or organization.
3. The sum total of all voluntary interrelations between individuals.
4. The people of one’s country or community taken as a whole.
5. High society.
6. A number of people joined by mutual consent to deliberate, determine and act toward a common goal.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *sokʷéh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-ṓy
Proto-Indo-European *sokʷh₂ṓy
Proto-Indo-European *-yós
Proto-Indo-European *sokʷyós
Proto-Italic *sokjos
Latin sokios
Latin socius
Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-ts
Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts
Proto-Italic *-tāts
Latin -tās
Latin societāslbor.
Old French societé
Middle French societébor.
English society
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”). First attested in the 1530s.

## Easily confused with
- **soviet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/society-vs-soviet)
- **socket** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/society-vs-socket)
- **societal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/societal-vs-society)
- **sobriety** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sobriety-vs-society)

## Common misspellings (10)
`osciety`, `scoiety`, `socciety`, `soceity`, `societty`, `societyy`, `socieyt`, `socitey`, `soicety`, `ssociety`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/society