guild

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
guild/ɡɪld/

▶noun

• 1 a medieval association of craftsmen or merchants.

• 2 an association of people for mutual aid or the pursuit of a common goal.

• 3 Ecology a group of species with similar roles within a community.

– derivatives
guildsman noun (pl. guildsmen).

– origin OE: prob. from Mid. Low Ger. and MDu. gilde, of Gmc origin; rel. to yield.