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erudite

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.02 sec.
er·u·dite  (ry-dt, r-)
adj.
Characterized by erudition; learned. See Synonyms at learned.

[Middle English erudit, from Latin rudtus, past participle of rudre, to instruct : -, ex-, ex- + rudis, rough, untaught; see rude.]

eru·ditely adv.
eru·diteness 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 rudtus, "well-instructed, learned," from the past participle of the verb rudre, "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.

erudite [air-rude-ite]
Adjective
having or showing great academic knowledge [Latin erudire to polish]
erudition n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.erudite - having or showing profound knowledge; "a learned jurist"; "an erudite professor"
scholarly - characteristic of scholars or scholarship; "scholarly pursuits"; "a scholarly treatise"; "a scholarly attitude"

erudite
Translations
erudite [ˈɛrudaɪt] adjerudito
erudite [ˈɛrjudaɪt] adjsavant(e)
erudite [ˈɛrjudaɪt] adjgelehrt
erudite [ˈɛrjudaɪt] adjerudito/a


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The erudite gentleman in whom I confided congealed before I was half through
originally precisely that of our H, but the erudite Dr.
Did erudite Stubb, mounted upon your capstan, deliver lectures on the anatomy of the Cetacea; and by help of the windlass, hold up a specimen rib for exhibition?
 
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