Culture (from the
Latin
cultura stemming from colere,
meaning "to cultivate"), generally refers to
patterns
of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of
"culture" reflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity.
of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of
"culture" reflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity.
Anthropologists most commonly use
the term "culture" to refer to the universal
human capacity to classify,
codify and communicate their experiences
symbolically. This capacity has
long been taken as a defining
feature of the
humans.