Institution \In`sti*tu"tion\, n. [L. institutio: cf. F.
   institution.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. The act or process of instituting; as:
      (a) Establishment; foundation; enactment; as, the
          institution of a school.
          [1913 Webster]

                The institution of God's law is described as
                being established by solemn injunction.
                                                  --Hooker.
      (b) Instruction; education. [Obs.] --Bentley.
      (c) (Eccl. Law) The act or ceremony of investing a
          clergyman with the spiritual part of a benefice, by
          which the care of souls is committed to his charge.
          --Blackstone.
          [1913 Webster]

   2. That which instituted or established; as:
      (a) Established order, method, or custom; enactment;
          ordinance; permanent form of law or polity.
          [1913 Webster]

                The nature of our people,
                Our city's institutions.          --Shak.
      (b) An established or organized society or corporation; an
          establishment, especially of a public character, or
          affecting a community; a foundation; as, a literary
          institution; a charitable institution; also, a
          building or the buildings occupied or used by such
          organization; as, the Smithsonian Institution.
      (c) Anything forming a characteristic and persistent
          feature in social or national life or habits.
          [1913 Webster]

                We ordered a lunch (the most delightful of
                English institutions, next to dinner) to be
                ready against our return.         --Hawthorne.
          [1913 Webster]

   3. That which institutes or instructs; a textbook; a system
      of elements or rules; an institute. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            There is another manuscript, of above three hundred
            years old, . . . being an institution of physic.
                                                  --Evelyn.
      [1913 Webster]

	

	158 Moby Thesaurus words for "institution":
   A, academy, act, agency, alpha, apostolic orders, appointment,
   asylum, atelier, barbershop, beauty parlor, beauty shop, beginning,
   bench, bill, blast-off, butcher shop, bylaw, calling, canon,
   canonization, ceremonial, ceremony, college, commencement, company,
   concern, conferment, consecration, constitution, corporation,
   creation, custom, cutting edge, dawn, decree, desk, dictate,
   dictation, doctrine, dogma, duty, edge, edict, effectuation,
   election, enactment, establishing, establishment, facility, firm,
   fixture, flying start, form, form of worship, formality, formation,
   forming, formula, formulary, foundation, founding, fresh start,
   function, habit, holy orders, holy rite, home, hospital, house,
   inauguration, inception, induction, installation, institute,
   introduction, investiture, jump-off, jus, kick-off, law,
   leading edge, legislation, lex, liturgy, loft, major orders,
   materialization, measure, minor orders, mode of worship, mystery,
   new departure, nomination, observance, office, oncoming, onset,
   opening, ordainment, order of worship, orders, ordinance,
   ordination, ordonnance, organization, origin, origination,
   outbreak, outset, parlor, practice, preferment, prescribed form,
   prescript, prescription, presentation, reading in, realization,
   regulation, rite, ritual, ritual observance, rituality, routine,
   rubric, rule, ruling, running start, sacrament, sacramental,
   school, send-off, service, setting in motion, setting-up, shop,
   solemnity, square one, standing order, start, start-off,
   starting point, statute, studio, sweatshop, take-off, tradition,
   university, work site, work space, workbench, workhouse,
   working space, workplace, workroom, workshop, worktable

	

	INSTITUTION, eccl. law. The act by which the ordinary commits the cure of 
souls to a person presented to a benefice. 
	

	INSTITUTION, political law. That which has been established and settled by 
law for the public good; as, the American institutions guaranty to the 
citizens all privileges and immunities essential to freedom. 
	

	INSTITUTION, practice. The commencement of an action; as, A B has instituted 
a suit against C D, to recover damages for a trespass.