Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
erudite - 4 dictionary results

er⋅u⋅dite

  [er-yoo-dahyt, er-oo-]
Use erudite in a Sentence
–adjective
characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly: an erudite professor; an erudite commentary.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < L ērudītus, equiv. to ērud- (ē- e- + rud- unformed, rough, rude ) + -ītus -ite 2

Related forms:
er⋅u⋅dite⋅ly, adverb
er⋅u⋅dite⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
educated, knowledgeable; wise, sapient.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To erudite
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.
Cite This Source

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.
Cite This Source

erudite 
1432, from L. eruditus, pp. of erudire "instruct," from ex- "out" + rudis "unskilled, rude."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see erudite on Thesaurus | Reference