erudite

Definitions

e- ('out of') + rud ('rough') + -ite = literally 'taken out of the rough.' An erudite person started raw and untaught like everyone, then was polished by learning until the roughness was gone. The word builds its own contrast right into its parts: rud (raw) cancelled by e- (out of).

Why It Means This

Erudite is a tiny etymological surprise: it contains the word for 'rough' (rud) but means the opposite. The e- ('out of') does all the work — to be erudite is to have been led 'out of the rough' by study. It's a more formal, bookish word than 'knowledgeable,' and it praises depth of scholarship rather than mere cleverness.

Common Collocations

• 1.erudite scholar博学的学者
• 2.erudite discussion学识渊博的讨论
• 3.erudite essay博学的文章

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The professor gave an erudite lecture on medieval poetry.

• 2.

  Her essays are erudite but never dry or pompous.