Word Origins About Education

by Sue-Anne Schroeder

In keeping with November's general meeting, the theme for this issue's Word Origins is education.

Educate

Verb. To educate means to bring up and guide a child physically and mentally, to expand, strengthen, and discipline the mind or the faculties, and to prepare one for a profession or a calling by systematic instruction. Educate is derived from the Latin words educare, to rear or to bring up, and educere, to lead out. The noun education first appeared in the 16th century.

Edify

Verb. To edify is to instruct and improve, especially in moral and religious knowledge. This usage first appeared around 1340, and is derived from the Old French edifier and from the Latin ædificare, both which mean "to build, construct."

Erudite

Adjective. The adjective erudite, meaning "learned and well-instructed", comes from Latin eruditus. It stems from e-, ex-, meaning "out of, from" and rudis, meaning rough, untaught. (Rudis is the source of our English rude.) One who has been brought out of a rough, untaught, rude state is hence erudite.

Instruct

Verb. Instruct appears in Middle English (instructen). It is derived from the Latin instruere, to prepare, or build.

Learn

Verb. The verb learn, meaning to gain knowledge , or mastery through experience or study, is found in Middle English lernen, and Old English leornian. Until the early 19th century, learn was used in the sense "to teach or instruct." This meaning was derived from the Old English word læran. We can find the word learn used in this sense by Shakespeare, Spenser, and other early writers.

Professor

Noun. This word's earliest roots come from the verb profess (from Middle English professen, "to take vows" from Old French profes, "that has taken a religious vow" and from Medieval Latin professus, meaning "avowed".) Usage of the verb profess, with the meaning "declare openly" was first recorded in 1526.

The noun professor is also traced to the Latin from profitieri "lay claim to, declare openly." Usage of professor as a "person who professes to be an expert in some art or science, teacher of highest rank" appears in the mid-14th century. As a title prefixed to a name, it dates from 1706.

Pedagogy

Noun. Meaning "the art or the profession of teaching," the noun pedagogy is derived from Old French pedagogue "teacher of children," and from Latin paedagogus "a slave who escorted children to school and generally supervised them."

School

Noun. This word dates back to medieval times, and was borrowed from medieval Latin scola, from classical Latin schola, which itself comes from Greek skhole. The original sense of skhole was "leisure," and then "discussion at leisure," and then "discussion at leisure for educational or intellectual purposes," and finally "school." Scholar was derived from medieval Latin scholaris, and it was scolere in Old English, and scholer by 1300.

Tutor

Noun. This word dates back to the 14th century and is derived from Old French tutour meaning a "guardian or private teacher," and from Latin tutor, a "guardian or watcher." The verb came into usage around 1590. The noun tutorial dates from 1742.

Sources

The word origins were obtained from the following sources.

• www.word-detective.com
• www.wordwizard.com
• www.dictionary.com
• www.etymonline.com
• www.takeourword.com
• A Word A Day newsletter (Highly Recommended)