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[kuhl-cher] /ˈkʌl tʃər/

noun
1.
the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
2.
that which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.
3.
a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period:
Greek culture.
4.
development or improvement of the mind by education or training.
5.
the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group:
the youth culture; the drug culture.
6.
Anthropology. the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.
7.
Biology.

8.
the act or practice of cultivating the soil; tillage.
9.
the raising of plants or animals, especially with a view to their improvement.
10.
the product or growth resulting from such cultivation.
verb (used with object), cultured, culturing.
11.
to subject to culture; cultivate.
12.
Biology.

/ˈkʌltʃə/
noun
1.
the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action
2.
the total range of activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the group: the Mayan culture
3.
a particular civilization at a particular period
4.
the artistic and social pursuits, expression, and tastes valued by a society or class, as in the arts, manners, dress, etc
5.
the enlightenment or refinement resulting from these pursuits
6.
the attitudes, feelings, values, and behaviour that characterize and inform society as a whole or any social group within it: yob culture
7.
the cultivation of plants, esp by scientific methods designed to improve stock or to produce new ones
8.
(stockbreeding) the rearing and breeding of animals, esp with a view to improving the strain
9.
the act or practice of tilling or cultivating the soil
10.
(biology)

verb (transitive)
11.
to cultivate (plants or animals)
12.
to grow (microorganisms) in a culture medium
n.

mid-15c., “the tilling of land,” from Middle French culture and directly from Latin cultura “a cultivating, agriculture,” figuratively “care, culture, an honoring,” from past participle stem of colere “tend, guard, cultivate, till” (see cult). The figurative sense of “cultivation through education” is first attested c.1500. Meaning “the intellectual side of civilization” is from 1805; that of “collective customs and achievements of a people” is from 1867.

For without culture or holiness, which are always the gift of a very few, a man may renounce wealth or any other external thing, but he cannot renounce hatred, envy, jealousy, revenge. Culture is the sanctity of the intellect. [William Butler Yeats]

Slang culture vulture is from 1947. Culture shock first recorded 1940.

culture cul·ture (kŭl’chər)
n.

v. cul·tured, cul·tur·ing, cul·tures

culture
(kŭl’chər)
Noun

Verb To grow microorganisms, viruses, or tissue cells in a nutrient medium.

The sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next.

Note: Anthropologists consider that the requirements for culture (language use, tool making, and conscious regulation of sex) are essential features that distinguish humans from other animals.

Note: Culture also refers to refined music, art, and literature; one who is well versed in these subjects is considered “cultured.”