culture

Universal Words noun, verb noun way of life 1 [U] the customs and beliefs, art, way of life and social organization of a particular country or group: European / Islamic / American culture * working-class culture 2 [C] a country, group, etc. with its own beliefs, etc: The children are taught to respect different cultures. * the effect of technology on traditional cultures art / music / literature 3 [U] art, music, literature, etc., thought of as a group: Venice is a beautiful city full of culture and history. * popular culture (= that is enjoyed by a lot of people) * the Minister for Culture beliefs / attitudes 4 [C,U] the beliefs and attitudes about sth that people in a particular group or organization share: The political cultures of the United States and the United Kingdom are very different. * A culture of failure exists in some schools. * company culture * We are living in a consumer culture. growing / breeding 5 [U] (technical) the growing of plants or breeding of particular animals in order to get a particular substance or crop from them: the culture of silkworms (= for silk) cells / bacteria 6 [C] (biology, medical) a group of cells or bacteria, especially one taken from a person or an animal and grown for medical or scientific study; the process of obtaining and growing these cells: a culture of cells from the tumour * Yogurt is made from active cultures. * to do / take a throat culture verb [VN] (biology, medical) to grow a group of cells or bacteria for medical or scientific study