▁further ▁education , ▁a ▁training ▁institution ▁that ▁awards ▁trade ▁qual ifications , ▁a ▁higher - ed uc ation ▁provider ▁that ▁does ▁not ▁have ▁university ▁status ▁( o ften ▁without ▁its ▁own ▁degree - a ward ing ▁powers ), ▁or ▁a ▁constitu ent ▁part ▁of ▁a ▁university ▁( see ▁this ▁comparison ▁of ▁British ▁and ▁American ▁English ▁educational ▁termin ology ▁for ▁further ▁information ). ▁ ▁Et ym ology ▁The ▁word ▁" col lege " ▁is ▁from ▁the ▁Latin ▁verb ▁le go , ▁leg ere , ▁leg i , ▁lect um , ▁" to ▁collect , ▁gather ▁together , ▁pick ", ▁plus ▁the ▁pre position ▁cum , ▁" with ", ▁thus ▁meaning ▁" selected ▁together ". ▁Thus ▁" col le agues " ▁are ▁literally ▁" pers ons ▁who ▁have ▁been ▁selected ▁to ▁work ▁together ". ▁In ▁ancient ▁Rome ▁a ▁colleg ium ▁was ▁a ▁" body , ▁gu ild , ▁corpor ation ▁un ited ▁in ▁colle agues hip ; ▁of ▁magistr ates , ▁pra et ors , ▁trib unes , ▁pri ests , ▁aug urs ; ▁a ▁political ▁club ▁or ▁trade ▁gu ild ". ▁Thus ▁a ▁college ▁was ▁a ▁form ▁of ▁corpor ation ▁or ▁corpor ate ▁body , ▁an ▁artificial ▁legal ▁person ▁( body / cor pus ) ▁with ▁its ▁own ▁legal ▁person ality , ▁with ▁the ▁capacity ▁to ▁enter ▁into ▁legal ▁contract s , ▁to ▁sue ▁and ▁be ▁su ed . ▁In ▁media eval ▁England ▁there ▁were ▁colleg es ▁of ▁pri ests , ▁for ▁example ▁in ▁ch antry ▁chap els ; ▁modern ▁surv iv als ▁include