a garden or grove near athens (so named from the hero academus), where plato and his followers held their philosophical conferences; hence, the school of philosophy of which plato was head.-an institution for the study of higher learning; a college or a university. popularly, a school, or seminary of learning, holding a rank between a college and a common school.-a place of training; a school.-a society of learned men united for the advancement of the arts and sciences, and literature, or some particular art or science; as, the french academy; the american academy of arts and sciences; academies of literature and philology.-a school or place of training in which some special art is taught; as, the military academy at west point; a riding academy; the academy of music.