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, esp. a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning with artificial intelligence.
6.
Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.
–verb (used without object)
7.
to acquire knowledge or skill: to learn rapidly.
8.
to become informed (usually fol. by of): to learn of an accident.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME lernen, OE leornian to learn, read, ponder (c. G lernen); akin to lesan to glean (c. G lesen to read). See lear]
—Related forms
learn·a·ble, adjective
—Synonyms 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.
having or showing profound knowledge; "a learned jurist"; "an erudite professor" [syn: erudite]
2.
highly educated; having extensive information or understanding; "knowing instructors"; "a knowledgeable critic"; "a knowledgeable audience" [syn: knowing]
3.
established by conditioning or learning; "a conditioned response" [syn: conditioned] [ant: innate]
Learned, MS (town, FIPS 39880) Location: 32.19766 N, 90.54872 W Population (1990): 111 (41 housing units) Area: 0.8 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 39154
Learn\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Learned, or Learnt (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Learning.] [OE. lernen, leornen, AS. leornian; akin to OS. lin[=o]n, for lirn[=o]n, OHG. lirn[=e]n, lern[=e]n, G. lernen, fr. the root of AS. l?ran to teach, OS. l[=e]rian, OHG. l[=e]ran, G. lehren, Goth. laisjan, also Goth lais I know, leis acquainted (in comp.); all prob. from a root meaning, to go, go over, and hence, to learn; cf. AS. leoran to go . Cf. Last a mold of the foot, lore.]1. To gain knowledge or information of; to ascertain by inquiry, study, or investigation; to receive instruction concerning; to fix in the mind; to acquire understanding of, or skill; as, to learn the way; to learn a lesson; to learn dancing; to learn to skate; to learn the violin; to learn the truth about something. "Learn to do well." --Is. i. 17. Now learn a parable of the fig tree. --Matt. xxiv. 32. 2. To communicate knowledge to; to teach. [Obs.] Hast thou not learned me how To make perfumes ? --Shak. Note: Learn formerly had also the sense of teach, in accordance with the analogy of the French and other languages, and hence we find it with this sense in Shakespeare, Spenser, and other old writers. This usage has now passed away. To learn is to receive instruction, and to teach is to give instruction. He who is taught learns, not he who teaches.
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Audio Help [lur-nid for 1–3; lurnd for 4] Pronunciation Key