What does campi mean?
'Campi' is the Latin-style plural of 'campus', the word for the grounds and buildings of a school, college, or university. In everyday English the plural is almost always rendered as 'campuses', following normal English inflection; 'campi' survives mainly in formal or academic prose, particularly when writers wish to signal classical precision or when discussing institutions that maintain several sites at once — a multi-campus university might be said to operate across numerous campi. The term also retains a literal classical sense, since in Latin 'campus' meant an open field or plain, and expressions like the Campus Martius ('Field of Mars') in ancient Rome were areas of open ground known collectively as campi. The underlying root is the Latin caput-related family of words associated with fields and open country, which also gave English 'camp', 'campaign', and 'champion'. For general readers, 'campuses' remains the safe, standard choice, with 'campi' serving as a learned, somewhat self-conscious alternative.
nounThe plural of 'campus', used chiefly to refer collectively to the grounds and buildings of more than one college or university, especially when a single institution operates several sites.
- The plural of 'campus': multiple sets of college or university grounds and buildings.
- In classical studies, the plural of the Latin noun 'campus', meaning fields or open ground (as in the Campus Martius of ancient Rome).
"The university's expansion left it managing three separate campuses across the state."
"The state system now spans five campuses, each with its own library and student union."
"Roman generals assembled their troops on the campi outside the city walls before triumphal processions."
As a plural form itself, 'campi' does not take a further plural; the standard plural of 'campus' in modern English is 'campuses'.
"The university's three campuses serve over forty thousand students."
Strictly speaking, one university can have many campuses — but purists who insist on the Latinate 'campi' are reviving a plural that most dictionaries still treat as optional at best.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of campi
Both 'campus' and its plural 'campi' come straight from Latin campus, meaning a field, plain, or open space — famously the Campus Martius, the drill-ground of ancient Rome. The singular was borrowed into English in the eighteenth century, initially referring to the grounds of what became Princeton University, before spreading to colleges generally. The plural 'campi' preserves the original Latin inflection, though English speakers more commonly form the plural as 'campuses'. The same Latin root produced 'camp', 'campaign', 'champion', and 'encampment', all tied to the notion of open ground.
Related word forms
How campi is actually used
English overwhelmingly prefers the anglicized plural 'campuses'; 'campi' is rare, appearing mainly in formal writing about higher education or in classical references. Because 'campus' is an ordinary English word rather than a retained Latin form, style guides generally recommend 'campuses' unless a specific institution's own convention dictates otherwise.
Easily confused with campi
'Campus' refers to a single institution's grounds and buildings, while 'campi' is simply its plural form used when referring to more than one.
'Campo' is the Italian (and Spanish) word for a field or countryside, whereas 'campi' is the English plural of 'campus', though both descend from the same Latin root.