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phi·los·o·pher

(fĭ-lŏsə-fər)

1. A student of or specialist in philosophy.

2. A person who lives and thinks according to a particular philosophy.

3. A person who is calm and rational under any circumstances.

[Middle English philosophre, from alteration of Old French philosophe, from Latin philosophus, from Greek philosophos, lover of wisdom, philosopher : philo-, philo- + sophiā, knowledge, learning.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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