learning (n.)

Old English leornung "study, action of acquiring knowledge," verbal noun from leornian (see learn). Meaning "knowledge acquired by systematic study, extensive literary and scientific culture" is from mid-14c. Learning curve attested by 1907.

Entries linking to learning

learn (v.)

Old English leornian "to get knowledge, be cultivated; study, read, think about," from Proto-Germanic *lisnojanan (cognates: 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 root *lois- "furrow, track." It is related to German Gleis "track," and to Old English læst "sole of the foot" (see last (n.1)).

From c. 1200 as "to hear of, ascertain." Transitive use (He learned me (how) to read), now considered vulgar (except in reflexive expressions, I learn English), was acceptable from c. 1200 until early 19c. It is preserved in past-participle adjective learned "having knowledge gained by study." Old English also had læran "to teach" (see lere). Related: Learning.

*lois-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "furrow, track."

It forms all or part of: delirious; delirium; last (n.1) "wooden model of a human foot used by shoemakers;" last (v.) "endure, go on existing;" learn; learning; Lehrjahre; lore.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Latin lira "furrow;" Old Prussian lyso "field bed;" Old Church Slavonic lexa "field bed, furrow;" Old High German leisa "track," Gothic laistjan "to follow," Old English læran "to teach."

Trends of learning

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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acquisition

late 14c., adquisicioun, "act of obtaining," from Old French acquisicion "purchase, acquirement" (13c., Modern French acquisition) or directly from Latin acquisitionem (nominative acquisitio), noun of action from past-participle stem of acquirere "get in addition, accumulate," fr

scholarship

1530s, "status of a scholar," from scholar + -ship. The meaning "learning, erudition, character and qualities of a scholar" is from 1580s; the sense of "source of funds for support or maintenance of a scholar" is from 1580s. Other nouns in similar senses are or were scholardom "t

literature

early 15c., "book-learning," from Latin literatura/litteratura "learning, a writing, grammar," originally "writing formed...letters," from litera/littera "alphabetic letter" also "an epistle, writing, document; literature, great books; science, learning...In English originally "book learning" (in which sense it replaced Old English boccræft); the meaning "activity of a writer...

chrestomathy

especially from a foreign language), 1774, from French chrestomathie, from Latinized form of Greek khrestomatheia "desire of learning..."useful learning," from khrestos "useful" (verbal adjective of khresthai "to make use of," from PIE root *gher- (2) "to like...

pedantry

"manners, acts, or character of a pedant; the overrating of mere knowledge, especially in matters of learning which are of...minor importance; ostentatious or inappropriate display of learning," 1610s, from Italian pedanteria, from pedante, or from...

philology

late 14c., philologie, "love of learning and literature; personification of linguistic and literary knowledge," from Latin...philologia "love of learning, love of letters, love of study, literary culture," from Greek philologia "love of discussion..., learning, and literature; studiousness," in later use "learning" in a wider sense, from philo- "loving" (see philo-) +...Greek philologos, "fond of words, talkative," in Plato "fond of dialectic or argument," in Aristotle and Plutarch "fond of learning...

wing

Verbal phrase wing it (1885) is said to be from a theatrical slang sense of an actor learning his lines in the wings before...going onstage, or else not learning them at all and being fed by a prompter in the wings; but perhaps it is simply an image...

warder

c. 1400, "guardian of an entrance," from Anglo-French wardere, wardour "guardian, keeper, custodian" (Old French gardeor), agent noun from Old North French warder "to guard, keep, maintain, uphold" (Old French garder), from Frankish *wardon, from Proto-Germanic *wardon "to guard,

reward

mid-14c., "what one deserves, just desserts," from Anglo-French and Old North French reward, rouwart, back-formation from rewarder (see reward (v.)). The meaning "return or payment for service, hardship, etc.," also "something given in recognition of merit, virtue, etc., a prize"

find

Old English findan "come upon, meet with; discover; obtain by search or study" (class III strong verb; past tense fand, past participle funden), from Proto-Germanic *findan "to come upon, discover" (source also of Old Saxon findan, Old Frisian finda, Old Norse finna, Middle Dutch

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updated on September 28, 2017

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