Etymology

Harry-soph

Today it means: A student of law or medicine at Cambridge who, being of the same standing as the students in arts in his year, is allowed to wear a full-sleeved gown when they assume their BA gowns, though he does not obtain his actual degree so soon. Full definition →

Latin sophister ← Ancient Greek *ἐρίσοφος
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived from*ἐρίσοφος“very wise indeed”
  2. Latin · derived fromsophister
  3. English todayHarry-soph

According to a 17th century chronicler, from Latin sophister Henricianus after King Henry VIII, but remodeled to fit a fanciful Ancient Greek *ἐρίσοφος (*erísophos, “very wise indeed”), from ἐρι- (eri-) + σοφός (sophós).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.