tuition
Definitions
The money paid for instruction, especially at a college or university.
学费（尤指大学的）。
(chiefly British) Teaching, especially of one student or a small group; private coaching.
（主要英式）教学，辅导；（一对一或小班的）私人辅导。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedtuit (from tuērī, watch over) + -ion (act, state) = 'a watching over.' Latin tuitio meant guardianship; in English it became 'the care and teaching of a pupil.' British English keeps the teaching sense (private tuition), while American English shifted it to the money paid for that teaching — the fee.
Root tuit still carries 4 more wordsWhy It Means This
The split is geographic. In American English, tuition almost always means the fee you pay a school. In British English, it usually means the teaching itself — 'private tuition' is one-on-one coaching, not a bill. Same root, but one side kept the care and the other kept the cost.
Common Collocations
- 1.tuition fees学费
- 2.private tuition私人辅导，家教
- 3.tuition waiver学费减免
- 4.pay tuition缴纳学费
Example Sentences
- 1.
College tuition has risen sharply over the past decade.
- 2.
She got a scholarship that covers her full tuition.
- 3.
He pays for private tuition in chemistry twice a week.
- 4.
The course offers small-group tuition with experienced teachers.
Easily Confused
tuition vs tutoring — In American English, tuition is the money, and tutoring is the teaching; in British English, tuition can itself mean the teaching. If you mean the fee, say tuition (AmE); if you mean the lessons, 'tutoring' is unambiguous in both varieties.