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erudite - 4 dictionary results
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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er·u·dite (ěr'yə-dīt', ěr'ə-) adj. Characterized by erudition; learned. See Synonyms at learned. [Middle English erudit, from Latin ērudītus, past participle of ērudīre, to instruct : ē-, ex-, ex- + rudis, rough, untaught; see rude.] er'u·dite'ly adv., er'u·dite'ness n. Word History: One might like to be erudite but hesitate to be rude. This preference is supported by the etymological relationship between erudite and rude. Erudite comes from the Latin adjective ērudītus, "well-instructed, learned," from the past participle of the verb ērudīre, "to educate, train." The verb is in turn formed from the prefix ex-, "out, out of," and the adjective rudis, "untaught, untrained," the source of our word rude. The English word erudite is first recorded in a work possibly written before 1425 with the senses "instructed, learned." Erudite meaning "learned" is supposed to have become rare except in sarcastic use during the latter part of the 19th century, but the word now seems to have been restored to favor. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Erudite
Er"u*dite\ (?; 135), a. [L. eruditus, p. p. of erudire to free from rudeness, to polish, instruct; e out + rudis rude: cf. F. ['e]rudit. See Rude.] Characterized by extensive reading or knowledge; well instructed; learned. "A most erudite prince." --Sir T. More. "Erudite . . . theology." --I. Taylor. -- Er"u*dite`ly, adv. -- Er"u*dite`ness, n.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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erudite
1432, from L. eruditus, pp. of erudire "instruct," from ex- "out" + rudis "unskilled, rude."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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