académie

Académie is a term, chiefly in French, used to denote a learned society or institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, letters, and sciences. The word derives from the Greek Akademḗ, via Plato’s Academy, and entered European usage as a model for formal bodies of scholars and artists. Academies have historically served to standardize language, coordinate research, sponsor prizes, and publish scholarly or literary works.

The best-known example is the Académie française, founded in 1635 in Paris by Cardinal Richelieu to regulate the French language. It is composed of a limited number of members, traditionally called immortels, and it publishes dictionaries and grammar guides that influence French usage.

In France, the Institut de France groups five academies with related aims: Académie française; Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres (humanities and archaeology); Académie des sciences (science); Académie des beaux-arts (architecture, sculpture, painting, and related arts); and Académie des sciences morales et politiques (social and moral sciences).

Beyond France, many countries maintain academies bearing the same name or concept, often as national or regional authorities on culture, science, or education. The term is also used in various francophone institutions and in translations of “academy.”

Functionally, academies typically elect members, oversee standards in their fields, organize lectures and prizes, publish journals or proceedings, and occasionally advise governments or language authorities. While their exact scope and structure vary, academies share a common mission: to advance knowledge and culture through scholarly communities.