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Added 10 October 2026

pedant

/ˈpɛdənt/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pedant at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they merit.

Origin

From Middle French pedant, pedante, from Italian pedante (“a teacher, schoolmaster, pedant”), associated with unrelated Italian pedagogo (“teacher, pedagogue”). Compare French pédant.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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