bluestocking

[ bloo-stok-ing ]
See synonyms for bluestocking on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a woman with considerable scholarly, literary, or intellectual ability or interest.

  2. a member of a mid-18th-century London literary circle: Lady Montagu was a celebrated bluestocking.

Origin of bluestocking

1
1675–85; so called from the informal attire, especially blue woolen instead of black silk stockings, worn by some women of the group (def. 2)

Other words from bluestocking

  • blue·stock·ing·ism, noun

Words Nearby bluestocking

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bluestocking in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bluestocking

bluestocking

/ (ˈbluːˌstɒkɪŋ) /


noun
  1. usually derogatory a scholarly or intellectual woman

Origin of bluestocking

1
from the blue worsted stockings worn by members of a C18 literary society

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012