Word of the Day

: November 23, 2009

pedantic

adjective pih-DAN-tik

What It Means

1 : narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned

2 : unimaginative, pedestrian

pedantic in Context

Many students at the lecture were confused about what the pedantic professor was saying because he insisted on using highly elevated diction.

Did You Know?

In Shakespeare's day, a pedant was a male schoolteacher. The word's meaning was close to that of the Italian "pedante," from which the English word was adapted. Someone who was pedantic was simply a tutor or teacher. But some instructional pedants of the day must have been pompous and dull, because by the early 1600s both "pedant" and "pedantic" had gained extended senses referring to anyone who was obnoxiously and tediously devoted to his or her own academic acumen.