scholar
(ˈskɒlə(r))
Forms: 1 scolere, scoliere, 3–7 scholer, 4–5 scolere, 4–6 scoler, 5 scolare, skolere, scolier, (Caxton escolyer), 5–6 scolar, 5–7 scoller, 6 scolear, -eir, scollar, skoller, skolar, 6–7 scholler, -ar, schooler, 7 schoolar, skooller, skollar, (sholar), 6–9 vulgar schollard, 9 scholard, 6– scholar.
[OE. scolere, scoliere (= OHG. scuolari, MHG. schuolære, early mod.G. schuler, now schüler), ad. late L. scholār-is (f. schola school), with substitution of the native ending -er1. The word is rare in OE., and the ME. scoler(e may be wholly or in part a. OF. escoler, escolier (mod.F. écolier). Cf. Du. scholier (? from Fr.), MDu. also scholare, scholer.]
1. a. One who is taught in a school; esp. a boy or girl attending an elementary school. Often qualified by prefixed word, as Sunday, infant scholar, day-scholar. Now somewhat arch.
| c 1055 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia VIII. 308 Seo ræding pingð þæne scoliere. 1389 in Eng. Gilds (1870) 51 A fraternite was begonne..of ȝonge scolers. a 1400–50 Alexander 641 If any scolere in þe scole his skorne at him makis. 1402 Hoccleve Let. Cupid 211 That boke scolers lerne in hir chyldehede. 1538 Starkey England i. i. 3 He was neuer gud mastur that neuer was scoler. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iii. i. 18, I am no breeching scholler in the schooles. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. i. 266 Two Schoole maisters and threescore and ten schoolers. a 1656 Bp. Hall Rem. Wks. Special. Life 8 Some unwise friends..perswaded him [my Father] to fasten me upon that School as Master, whereof I was lately a Scholler. 1820 Southey Wesley II. 162 In two or three months there were twenty-eight scholars, notwithstanding the strictness of the discipline. 1843 (title) The Sunday Scholar. 1888 J. Runciman in Contemp. Rev. LIV. 39 An accurate inquiry disclosed the fact that 38 per cent. of these poor scholars were breakfastless every morning. |
b. One who is receiving, or has received, his instruction or training from a particular master; a pupil (
of a master). Now
arch. or
rhetorical.
| c 1000 Canons of Edgar 10 in Thorpe Laws II. 246/14 Þæt æniᵹ preost ne underfo oþres scolere. c 1305 St. Edm. Conf. 247 in E.E.P. (1862) 77 His scolers þat ihurde of him gode men were ynouȝ. 1340 Ayenb. 39 Ine þis clergie heþ dame auarice uele scolers. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 195 Pictagoras hadde þis manere by seuene sciences: non of his scoleres schulde to fore þe seuenþe ȝere axe resoun noþer skile of his lore. 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) II. 396 Hys escolyers that lerned of hym. a 1590 Marr. Wit & Wisd. viii. (Shaks. Soc.) 56 Wit. Your most vnworthy schollard Giues to you immortall thainks. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iv. xiv. 102 Thy Master dies thy Scholler; to do thus I learnt of thee. 1644 Milton Areop. (Arb.) 68 We are become..the backwardest Schollers, of whom God offer'd to haue made us the teachers. 1699 Bentley Phal. ii. 57 While young, he was Scholar to Thales. 1745 J. Hammond Love Elegies xiii, And teach my lovely scholar all I know. 1869 Tennyson Coming of Arthur 153 Merlin's master (so they call him) Bleys, Who taught him magic; but the scholar ran Before the master. 1896 Besant Master Craftsman (1897) 67 It looks like Grinling Gibbons..or perhaps one of his scholars. |
c. transf. One who acknowledges another as his master or teacher; a disciple.
| 1577 T. Vautrollier Luther on Ep. Gal. 10 That they were the ministers of Christ and the Apostles scholers. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. vii. §3 To professe themselues therein schollers and followers of the auncient. 1606 B. Barnes Offices ii. 50 Gower and his Scholler Chaucer. 1759 Johnson Idler No. 68 ¶4 The Romans confessed themselves the scholars of the Greeks. 1791 Burke Let. Memb. Nat. Assembly Wks. VI. 37 Your masters, who are his [Rousseau's] scholars. 1842 J. H. Newman Par. Serm. V. viii. 127 They think it a fine thing to..profess themselves the devil's scholars. |
d. With qualifying
adj.: One who is quick (or the reverse) at learning.
| c 1605 Rowley Birth of Merlin ii. iii. 232 Prince. Dost think thy Lady is of thy opinion? Gent. She's a bad Scholar else; I have brought her up, And she dares owe me still. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 214 He was the aptest Scholar that ever was. 1733 in Swift's Lett. (1766) II. 177, I am conscious of only one [good quality], that is, being an apt scholar. |
2. a. One who studies in the ‘schools’ at a university; a member of a university,
esp. a junior or undergraduate member. Now only
Hist. and in official use.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 7999 Þe fourþe sone was a scoler, To lerne more he dyde hys power. c 1340 Hampole Prose Treat. 7 A scolere at pares had done many full synnys. c 1386 Chaucer Miller's T. 4 With hym ther was dwellynge a poure scoler, Hadde lerned Art, but al his fantasye Was turned for to lerne Astrologye. 1472–3 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 33/2 Your humble Oratours and Subgiettes, the Chaunceler and Scolers of the Universite in your Toune of Oxonford. 1572 Act 14 Eliz. c. 5 §5 All Scollers of the Universityes of Oxford or Cambridge y{supt} goe aboute begginge, not beinge aucthorysed under the Seale of the said Universities. 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 139 Such a confusion of degrees, that the scholler knoweth not his dutie to the Bachelor, nor the Bachelor to the Master. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. II. 247 The Burgesses and skolleris [at Aberdeen]. 1613–14 Aberd. Acc. in Spalding Club Miscell. V. 94 Gave to ane Hungarian scoller for his supporte..3 lib. 1632 Lithgow Trav. ii. 43 The Schollers here in the night commit many murthers. 1681 Lond. Gaz. No. 1656/2 At the very Entrance whereof, the Scholars were placed; First, the Under-Graduates, then the Batchelors of Arts. 1868 Local Act 31 & 32 Vict. c. 59 Preamble, The Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Oxford. |
† b. In the Elizabethan period, often applied to one who had studied at the university, and who, not having entered any of the learned professions or obtained any fixed employment, sought to gain a living by literary work.
Obs.| 1597 Pilgr. Parnassus i. 74 (Macray) Let schollers be as thriftie as they maye, They will be poore ere theire last dyinge daye. |
3. a. One who has acquired learning in the ‘Schools’; a learned or erudite person;
esp. one who is learned in the classical (
i.e. Greek and Latin) languages and their literature.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1554 Scoleres skelten þeratte þe skyl forto fynde, Bot þer was neuer on so wyse couþe on worde rede. 1540–1 Elyot Image Govt. (1549) 80 In the habite of a schooler of philosophie. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado ii. i. 264, I would to God some scholler would coniure her. 1607 Peele's Jests (c 1620) 11 He goes directly to the Mayor, tels him he was a Scholler and a Gentleman. 1621 Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 181 As becommed a Gentle⁓man and a Scholer. 1779–81 Johnson L.P., Akenside Wks. 1787 IV. 290 A very conspicuous specimen of Latinity, which entitled him to the same height of place among the scholars as he possessed before among the wits. 1820 Lamb Elia i. Christ's Hospital, Matthew Field belonged to that class of modest divines who affect to mix in equal proportion the gentleman, the scholar, and the Christian. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Religion Wks. (Bohn) II. 97 Thus the clergy for a thousand years have been the scholars of the nation. 1886 R. C. Christie in Encycl. Brit. XXI. 362/2 Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540–1609), the greatest scholar of modern times. |
b. with qualifying word indicating the degree of one's attainment.
| c 1290 St. Francis 154 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 58 Bernard, þat was a guod scholer, formest to him cam. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. iv. i. 82 He is a better scholler then I thought he was. 1629 F. Lenton Yng. Gallants Whirligigg in Marr. Wit & Wisdom (Shaks. Soc.) 125 His Childhood next..Required them to put him unto schoole, Where in processe of time he grew to bee A pretty scholler. 1649 Jer. Taylor Gt. Exemp. ii. Disc. vi. 11 An ignorant mans faith..may be as strong as the faith of the greatest Scholler. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Pope 12 Feb., I pass for a great scholar with him, by relating to him some of the Persian tales. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 224 He..made me..a much better Scholar in the Scripture Knowledge, than I should ever have been by my own private meer Reading. 1820 Lamb Elia i. Christ's Hospital, Under him were many good and sound scholars bred. |
c. In illiterate use, one whom the speaker regards as exceptionally learned. Often merely, one who is able to read and write. Freq. in vulgar or
dial. form
scholard,
schollard, etc.
| 1644 Quarles Judgem. & Mercy Wks. (Grosart) I. 79 The Vicar of our Parish..being so good a Churchman, and so great a Schollard, and can speake Latine too. 1667 Dryden & Dk. Newcastle Sir M. Mar-all ii. ii, Nay, faith, sir, I am not so good a schollard to say much. 1678 Quack's Acad. in Harl. Misc. (1809) II. 33 The admiring patient shall certainly cry you up for a great schollard, provided always your nonsense be fluent. 1824 Miss Mitford Village Ser. i. 207 He [sc. a lad of thirteen] is a great ‘scholar’, too, to use the country phrase. 1853 Lytton My Novel i. iii, You know Mark was a schollard, sir, like my poor, poor sister. 1893 Peel Spen Valley 274 When the paper was bought by Law's work-people, they had to seek up John Jowett, or some other scholar to read it aloud to them. |
4. A student who receives emoluments, during a fixed period, from the funds of a school, college, or university, towards defraying the cost of his education or studies, and as a reward of merit.
At the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge and in the University of Durham such students wear a distinctive academic dress, and have special seats in hall and chapel.
| 1511–2 Act 3 Hen. VIII, c. 22 §5 Any particular persone being fellowe or scoler of any of the said Colleges or Halles. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 400 The Warden and Scholers of new College in Oxenford. 1693 Dryden Persius iii. (pref. note), I remember I Translated this Satyr, when I was a Kings-Scholar at Westminster-School, for a Thursday-Nights Exercise. 1831 Oxf. Univ. Herald 19 Feb. 3/3 The election for a Vinerian Scholar, in the room of Mr. Giles, will take place on Thursday. Ibid. 11 June 3/2 On Monday last, Mr. Spranger, commoner of Exeter Coll. was elected a Scholar of that Society. 1853 ‘C. Bede’ Verdant Green i. v, A scholar's gown was accordingly produced. 1857 Act 20 & 21 Vict. c. 84 Sched. §71 The foundation scholars at the lower school [Dulwich] shall be appointed by the governors. |
5. attrib. and
Comb., as
scholar-craft,
scholar-part,
scholar phrase; appositive, as
scholar-official,
scholar-performer,
scholar-poet,
scholar-printer,
scholar publisher,
scholar-saint;
† scholar-respecting adj.| 1820 Scott Monast. xi, And since you like *scholarcraft so well, Mary Avenel, you shall see whether Edward or I have most of it. |
| 1978 Nagel's Encycl.-Guide: China 323 All the prestige and importance of the *scholar-officials came from their knowledge of characters. |
| 1711 Shaftesbury Charac. I. 333 note, The full advantage of a just and liberal Education, by uniting the *Scholar-part with that of the real Gentleman and Man of Breeding. |
| 1978 C. Hogwood in J. M. Thomson Future of Early Music in Britain 16 Much of the scholarly evidence is so easily assimilated by the performer that you have to invent a halfway category of the *scholar-performer or the research-performer. |
| 1599 Porter Angry Wom. Abingt. (Percy Soc.) 27 That womans will borne, common, *scholler phrase. |
| 1928 J. Bailey Let. 23 July (1935) 289 Do you know Hölderlin, the *scholar-poet? 1979 R. P. Graves (title) A. E. Housman: the scholar-poet. |
| 1902 M. R. James in Camb. Mod. Hist. I. xvii. 619 The sixteenth century was the age of publication. What had been recovered was given to the world by the great *scholar-printers. |
| 1963 Times Lit. Suppl. 26 Apr. 312/2 Dr. Mardersteig's position in typographical history as at once an artist-printer and a *scholar-publisher. |
| 1595 Polimanteia in Brydges Brit. Bibl. I. 275 A *schollar-respecting honor. |
| 1894 Dublin Rev. Oct. 340 The serene *scholar-saint, the Benedictine, Jean Mabillon. |
b. scholar's mate: see
mate n.1 b. Also
† scholar's check.
| 1656 tr. Biochimo's Chesse-Play 17 The Schollers Mate. 1688 Holme Armoury iii. v. 264/1 Scholars Check. |
Hence
ˈscholar v. (
nonce-wd. in
pa. pple. and gerund),
intr. to act the scholar or learner;
trans. ? to educate as a scholar.
| 1793 F. Burney Lett. (1843) V. 402, I have been scholaring all day, and mastering too; for our lessons are mutual. 1836 Mahony Reliques I. 309 (tr. Gresset) Thus for a time did Vert-Vert dwell Safe in this holy citadelle; Scholared like any well-bred abbé, And loved by many a cloistered Hebé. |