[em-er-suh
n] 
| Ralph Wal⋅do, [wawl-doh, wol-] , 1803–82, U.S. essayist and poet. |
[em-er-soh-nee-uhn] , adjective | Em·er·son (ěm'ər-sən) American writer, philosopher, and central figure of American transcendentalism. His poems, orations, and especially his essays, such as Nature (1836), are regarded as landmarks in the development of American thought and literary expression. Em'er·so'ni·an (-sō'nē-ən) adj. |
A nineteenth-century American lecturer and author; a leader of transcendentalism. In his essay “Self-Reliance” and in other works, Emerson stressed the importance of the individual and encouraged people to rely on their own judgment.