gesellschaft

[ German guh-zel-shahft ]
/ German gəˈzɛlˌʃɑft /

noun, plural ge·sell·schaf·ten [German guh-zel-shahf-tuh n] /German gəˈzɛlˌʃɑf tən/. (often initial capital letter)

an association of individuals for common goals, as for entertainment, intellectual, or cultural purposes or for business reasons.
Sociology. a society or group characterized chiefly by formal organization, impersonal relations, the absence of generally held or binding norms, and a detachment from traditional and sentimental concerns, and often tending to be rationalistic and secular in outlook.
Compare gemeinschaft.

Origin of gesellschaft

1935–40; < German, equivalent to Geselle companion + -schaft -ship

Example sentences from the Web for gesellschaft

British Dictionary definitions for gesellschaft

gesellschaft
/ (German ɡəˈzɛlʃaft) /

noun plural -schaften (German -ʃaftən)

(often capital) a social group held together by practical concerns, formal and impersonal relationships, etc Compare gemeinschaft

Word Origin for gesellschaft

German, literally: society