erudite
5 dictionary results for: erudite
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
er·u·dite 
[er-yoo-dahyt, er-oo-] Pronunciation Key
[er-yoo-dahyt, er-oo-] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly: an erudite professor; an erudite commentary. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| er·u·dite
(ěr'yə-dīt', ěr'ə-) Pronunciation Key
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. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
erudite
erudite
1432, from L. eruditus, pp. of erudire "instruct," from ex- "out" + rudis "unskilled, rude."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| erudite | |
adjective | |
| having or showing profound knowledge; "a learned jurist"; "an erudite professor" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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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