Noun

Singular community

Plural communities

community (plural communities)

1. Group of people sharing a common understanding who reveal themselves by using the same language, manners, tradition and law. (see civilization).
2. Commune or residential/religious collective.
3. The condition of having certain attitudes and interests in common.
4. (ecology) A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.
5. (Virtual) A group of people interacting by electronic means for social, professional, educational or other purposes. (see virtual_community).

Related terms

• common
• commonalty
• communal
• commune
• communism
• communist
• communication

In biological terms, a community is a group of interacting species sharing an environment. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.

In sociology, the concept of community has led to significant debate, and sociologists are yet to reach agreement on a definition of the term. There were ninety-four discrete definitions of the term by the mid-1950s. Traditionally a "community" has been defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location. The word is often used to refer to a group that is organized around common values and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household. The word can also refer to the national community or global community.

The word "community" is derived from the Old French communité which is derived from the Latin communitas (cum, "with/together" + munus, "gift"), a broad term for fellowship or organized society.

Since the advent of the Internet, the concept of community no longer has geographical limitations, as people can now virtually gather in an online community and share common interests regardless of physical location.