a. [ L. socialis, from socius a companion; akin to sequi to follow: cf. F. social. See Sue to follow. ] 1. Of or pertaining to society; relating to men living in society, or to the public as an aggregate body; as, social interest or concerns; social pleasure; social benefits; social happiness; social duties. “Social phenomena.” J. S. Mill. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Ready or disposed to mix in friendly converse; companionable; sociable; as, a social person. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Consisting in union or mutual intercourse. [ 1913 Webster ]

Best with thyself accompanied, seek'st not
Social communication. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Bot.) Naturally growing in groups or masses; -- said of many individual plants of the same species. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Zool.) (a) Living in communities consisting of males, females, and neuters, as do ants and most bees. (b) Forming compound groups or colonies by budding from basal processes or stolons; as, the social ascidians. [ 1913 Webster ]

Social science, the science of all that relates to the social condition, the relations and institutions which are involved in man's existence and his well-being as a member of an organized community; sociology. It concerns itself with questions of the public health, education, labor, punishment of crime, reformation of criminals, and the like. --
Social whale (Zool.), the blackfish. --
The social evil, prostitution. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Sociable; companionable; conversible; friendly; familiar; communicative; convival; festive. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. socialisme. ] A theory or system of social reform which contemplates a complete reconstruction of society, with a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor. In popular usage, the term is often employed to indicate any lawless, revolutionary social scheme. See Communism, Fourierism, Saint-Simonianism, forms of socialism. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Socialism ] was first applied in England to Owen's theory of social reconstruction, and in France to those also of St. Simon and Fourier . . . The word, however, is used with a great variety of meaning, . . . even by economists and learned critics. The general tendency is to regard as socialistic any interference undertaken by society on behalf of the poor, . . . radical social reform which disturbs the present system of private property . . . The tendency of the present socialism is more and more to ally itself with the most advanced democracy. Encyc. Brit. [ 1913 Webster ]

We certainly want a true history of socialism, meaning by that a history of every systematic attempt to provide a new social existence for the mass of the workers. F. Harrison. [ 1913 Webster ]

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Socialism of the chair [ G. katheder socialismus ], a term applied about 1872, at first in ridicule, to a group of German political economists who advocated state aid for the betterment of the working classes. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. F. socialiste. ] One who advocates or practices the doctrines of socialism. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Pertaining to, or of the nature of, socialism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. socialisté, L. socialitas. ] The quality of being social; socialness. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To render social. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To subject to, or regulate by, socialism. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a social manner; sociably. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being social. [ 1913 Webster ]