From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Education \Ed`u*ca"tion\ (?; 135), n. [L. educatio; cf. F.
['e]ducation.]
The act or process of educating; the result of educating, as
determined by the knowledge skill, or discipline of
character, acquired; also, the act or process of training by
a prescribed or customary course of study or discipline; as,
an education for the bar or the pulpit; he has finished his
education.
[1913 Webster]
To prepare us for complete living is the function which
education has to discharge. --H. Spenser.
Syn: Education, Instruction, Teaching, Training,
Breeding.
Usage: Education, properly a drawing forth, implies not so
much the communication of knowledge as the discipline
of the intellect, the establishment of the principles,
and the regulation of the heart. Instruction is that
part of education which furnishes the mind with
knowledge. Teaching is the same, being simply more
familiar. It is also applied to practice; as, teaching
to speak a language; teaching a dog to do tricks.
Training is a department of education in which the
chief element is exercise or practice for the purpose
of imparting facility in any physical or mental
operation. Breeding commonly relates to the manners
and outward conduct.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
education
n 1: the activities of educating or instructing; activities that
impart knowledge or skill; "he received no formal
education"; "our instruction was carefully programmed";
"good classroom teaching is seldom rewarded" [syn:
education, instruction, teaching, pedagogy,
didactics, educational activity]
2: knowledge acquired by learning and instruction; "it was clear
that he had a very broad education"
3: the gradual process of acquiring knowledge; "education is a
preparation for life"; "a girl's education was less important
than a boy's"
4: the profession of teaching (especially at a school or college
or university)
5: the result of good upbringing (especially knowledge of
correct social behavior); "a woman of breeding and
refinement" [syn: education, training, breeding]
6: the United States federal department that administers all
federal programs dealing with education (including federal
aid to educational institutions and students); created 1979
[syn: Department of Education, Education Department,
Education]