Meanings
nounscholar (plural scholars)
plural scholars
- A specialist in a particular branch of knowledge.
Synonyms: expert, specialist
- A learned person; a bookman.
1 more example
The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone,[…]. Scribes, illuminators, and scholars held such stones directly over manuscript pages as an aid in seeing what was being written, drawn, or read.
2013 September-October, Henry Petroski, “The Evolution of Eyeglasses”, in American ScientistSynonyms: academic, learned person, savant, scholarly person, erudite
- SingaporeSomeone who received a prestigious scholarship.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship.
nounA specialist in a particular branch of knowledge.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
nouna learned person; someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines
Similar
scholarly person
Broader
nounsomeone (especially a child) who learns (as from a teacher) or takes up knowledge or beliefs
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*seǵʰ-
- Proto-Hellenic*skʰolā́
- Ancient Greekσχολή (skholḗ)
- Latinschola
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Late Latinscholāris
- Old Englishscōlere
- Middle Englishscolere
- Englishscholar
From Middle English scolar, scolare, scoler, scolere (also scholer), from Old English scōlere (“scholar, learner”), from Late Latin scholāris, from schola (“school”), from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ, “spare time, leisure", later, "conversations and the knowledge gained through them during free time; the places where these conversations took place”), equivalent to school + -ar. Doublet of schooler, Schuyler, and escolar. Compare Saterland Frisian Sköiler, Middle Low German schö̂lære, schö̂lere, schö̂ler (> modern German Low German Schöler), Dutch scholier, German Schüler.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عَالِم, عَالِم
- عَالِم (ʕālim)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- عَالِم (ʕālim)learned person
Bulgarian стипендиа́нт, специалист
- стипендиа́нт (stipendiánt)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- специалист (specialist)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- у́чен (účen)learned person
Catalan estudiant, estudiós
- estudianta student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- estudiósspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- eruditlearned person
Chinese Cantonese 學生 /学生, 學者 /学者
- 學生 /学生 (hok⁶ saang¹ / hok⁶ sang¹)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- 學者 /学者 (hok⁶ ze²)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Chinese Mandarin 學生 /学生, 學者 /学者
- 學生 /学生 (xuéshēng)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- 學者 /学者 (xuézhě)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- 博學之人 /博学之人 (bóxué zhī rén)learned person
Czech učenec
- učenecspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Dutch geleerde, geleerde
- geleerdespecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- geleerdelearned person
Esperanto erudiciulo, erudiciulino
- erudiciulospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- erudiciulinospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Finnish opiskelija, tiedemies
- opiskelijaa student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- tiedemiesspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- oppinutlearned person
French étudiant, expert
- étudianta student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- expertspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- spécialistespecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- savantlearned person
- éruditlearned person
- intellectuellearned person
German Student, Schüler
- Studenta student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- Schülera student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- Schülerina student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- Studentina student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- Gelehrterspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- Gelehrterlearned person
Greek λόγιος
- λόγιος (lógios)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Hindi शोधार्थी, शोधकर्ता
- शोधार्थी (śodhārthī)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- शोधकर्ता (śodhkartā)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- विषेशज्ञ (viṣeśajña)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- पंडित (paṇḍit)learned person
Hungarian tudós
- tudósspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Indonesian sarjana, cendekiawan
- sarjanalearned person
- cendekiawanlearned person
Italian studioso, erudito
- studiosospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- eruditospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- dottospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- accademicospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- letteratospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- ricercatorespecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- eruditolearned person
- dottolearned person
Japanese 学生, 学者
- 学生 (gakusei)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- 学者 (gakusha)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- 学識者 (gakushikisha)learned person
- 識者 (shikisha)learned person
Korean 학생, 학자
- 학생 (haksaeng)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- 학자 (hakja)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Latvian zinātnieks, zinātniece
- zinātnieksspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- zinātniecespecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Polish stypendysta, stypendystka
- stypendystaa student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- stypendystkaa student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- uczonyspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- uczonaspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- uczonylearned person
- uczonalearned person
Portuguese bolsista, bolseiro
- bolsistaa student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- bolseiroa student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- bolseiraa student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- eruditospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- especialistaspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- acadêmicospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- estudiosospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- eruditolearned person
- doutolearned person
Romanian învățat, erudit
- învățatspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- eruditspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- savantspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Russian уча́щийся, учени́к
- уча́щийся (učáščijsja)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- учени́к (učeník)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- студе́нт (studént)a student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- учёный (učónyj)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- специали́ст (specialíst)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- знато́к (znatók)learned person
- экспе́рт (ekspért)learned person
Scottish Gaelic sgoilear, eòlaiche
- sgoilearspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- eòlaichespecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Spanish escolar, estudioso
- escolara student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- estudiosospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- doctospecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- doctolearned person
Swahili mwanachuoni, mwanachuoni
- mwanachuonispecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- mwanachuonilearned person
Swedish stipendiat, forskare
- stipendiata student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- forskarespecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Tagalog paaralin, palaaral
- paaralina student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
- palaaralspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- pantaslearned person
- pahamlearned person
Tamil அறிஞர், அறிஞர்
- அறிஞர் (aṟiñar)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- அறிஞர் (aṟiñar)learned person
- கற்றார் (kaṟṟār)learned person
Turkish bilgin, âlim
- bilginspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- âlimspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- âlimlearned person
Urdu عالِم, دانِشْوَر
- عالِم ('ālim)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- دانِشْوَر (dāniśvar)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Vietnamese học sinh
- học sinha student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship
Welsh ysgolhaig, ysgolheiges
- ysgolhaigspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- ysgolheigesspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- arbenigwrspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- arbenigwraigspecialist in a particular branch of knowledge
- ysgolhaiglearned person
- ysgolheigeslearned person
- academyddlearned person
- academwraiglearned person
Yiddish חכם
- חכם (khokhem)specialist in a particular branch of knowledge
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with scholar
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
scholar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scholar
MLA
“scholar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scholar. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scholar,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scholar.
Source: scholar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.