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learned

[lur-nid for 1–3; lurnd for 4] /ˈlɜr nɪd for 1–3; lɜrnd for 4/
adjective
1.
having much knowledge; scholarly; erudite:
learned professors.
2.
connected or involved with the pursuit of knowledge, especially of a scholarly nature:
a learned journal.
3.
of or showing learning or knowledge; well-informed:
learned in the ways of the world.
4.
acquired by experience, study, etc.:
learned behavior.
Origin
Middle English
1300-1350
1300-50; Middle English lerned. See learn, -ed2
Related forms
learnedly, adverb
learnedness, noun
half-learned, adjective
half-learnedly, adverb
overlearned, adjective
overlearnedly, adverb
overlearnedness, noun
well-learned, adjective

learn

[lurn] /lɜrn/
verb (used with object), learned
[lurnd] /lɜrnd/ (Show IPA) or learnt, learning.
1.
to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience:
to learn French; to learn to ski.
2.
to become informed of or acquainted with; ascertain:
to learn the truth.
3.
to memorize:
He learned the poem so he could recite it at the dinner.
4.
to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire:
She learned patience from her father.
5.
(of a device or machine, especially a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning with artificial intelligence.
6.
Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.
verb (used without object), learned
[lurnd] /lɜrnd/ (Show IPA) or learnt, learning.
7.
to acquire knowledge or skill:
to learn rapidly.
8.
to become informed (usually followed by of):
to learn of an accident.
Origin
before 900; Middle English lernen, Old English leornian to learn, read, ponder (cognate with German lernen); akin to lesan to glean (cognate with German lesen to read). See lear
Related forms
learnable, adjective
mislearn, verb, mislearned or mislearnt, mislearning.
outlearn, verb (used with object), outlearned or outlearnt, outlearning.
relearn, verb, relearned or relearnt, relearning.
Can be confused
learn, teach.
Synonym Study
1. Learn, ascertain, detect, discover imply adding to one's store of facts. To learn is to add to one's knowledge or information: to learn a language. To ascertain is to verify facts by inquiry or analysis: to ascertain the truth about an event. To detect implies becoming aware of something that had been obscure, secret, or concealed: to detect a flaw in reasoning. To discover is used with objective clauses as a synonym of learn in order to suggest that the new information acquired is surprising to the learner: I discovered that she had been married before.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2014.
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Examples from the web for learned
  • Here are some lessons learned from the eruption disruptions, which are particularly relevant for anyone traveling abroad.
  • Most of us learned from a previous generation of lecturers, and many students are still learning from lectures.
  • But now researchers have learned that the drug also causes more neurons to form than normally would.
  • We have learned much about various teaching methods, the brain, and made education mandatory.
  • We learned how to make lighter, crispier latkes by extracting as much water as possible from the potatoes before cooking.
  • They learned to handle strategic, rather than purely tactical, concepts.
  • Ten minutes later they learned that the drug was being administered, so they believed their discomfort would begin to subside.
  • They've learned that gardens on the edges of populated areas provide a reliable food supply.
  • Students will conclude by designing their own aquarium habitats based on what they have learned.
  • To do so, the dogs have learned to navigate the subway.
British Dictionary definitions for learned

learned

/ˈlɜːnɪd/
adjective
1.
having great knowledge or erudition
2.
involving or characterized by scholarship
3.
(prenominal) a title applied in referring to a member of the legal profession, esp to a barrister: my learned friend
Derived Forms
learnedly, adverb
learnedness, noun

learn

/lɜːn/
verb learns, learning, learned (lɜːnd), learnt
1.
(when transitive, may take a clause as object) to gain knowledge of (something) or acquire skill in (some art or practice)
2.
(transitive) to commit to memory
3.
(transitive) to gain by experience, example, etc
4.
(intransitive; often foll by of or about) to become informed; know
5.
(not standard) to teach
Derived Forms
learnable, adjective
Word Origin
Old English leornian; related to Old High German lirnen
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
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Word Origin and History for learned
adj.

"having knowledge gained by study," mid-14c., past participle adjective from learn (v.) in former transitive sense. Related: Learnedly; learnedness.

learn

v.

Old English leornian "to get knowledge, be cultivated, study, read, think about," from Proto-Germanic *liznojan (cf. Old Frisian lernia, Middle Dutch leeren, Dutch leren, Old High German lernen, German lernen "to learn," Gothic lais "I know"), with a base sense of "to follow or find the track," from PIE *leis- "track." Related to German Gleis "track," and to Old English læst "sole of the foot" (see last (n.)).

The transitive sense (He learned me how to read), now vulgar, was acceptable from c.1200 until early 19c., from Old English læran "to teach" (cf. Dutch leren, German lehren "to teach," literally "to make known;" see lore), and is preserved in past participle adjective learned "having knowledge gained by study." Related: Learning.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Idioms and Phrases with learned

learn

also see:
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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