Linonian Society

Linonia, founded in 1753, is the second-oldest society at Yale College and the oldest surviving literary and debating society, outlasting its short-lived predecessor, Crotonia. Today, Linonia operates as a secret society at Yale, continuing the centuries-old tradition of promoting friendship and social intercourse.

Members of the society are known as "Linonians".

Linonia was founded on September 12, 1753, as Yale College's second oldest literary and debating society, after its short-lived predecessor Crotonia, founded in 1738. According to Yale: A History, participation in Linonia was the first non-athletic organized activity at Yale.

Linonia inspired many imitations, notably its rival society Brothers in Unity (1768) and Calliope (1819). By the late eighteenth century, membership in Linonia or Brothers was a defining tradition for all incoming freshmen. By the end of the Civil War, the social dominance of Linonia and Brothers began to wane, and in 1871, both societies donated their extensive book collections to the Yale Library. Linonia inspired the creation of the Cambridge Union and Oxford Union, which later served as models for the Yale Political Union. The founding of Skull and Bones, the original senior society, was directly tied to a dispute between Linonia, Brothers and Calliope over the Phi Beta Kappa awards.

Linonia was reconstituted multiple times throughout the 20th century, with its current form taking the shape of Yale's secret societies.

Each year, twenty students are carefully selected from Yale Law School, Yale Graduate School, Yale School of Management, and Yale's senior undergraduate class, making Linonia the only Yale secret society known to tap beyond the undergraduate level. Each new member has to be confirmed by unanimous vote among Linonia members.

Linonia participates in Yale's tap night during the second week of April. Unlike many secret societies whose focus is the members' biographies, Linonia meetings often involve debate on intellectual and political topics.

The society's motto is Amicitia Concordia Soli Noscimus. Its colors are navy and pink.