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n. 1. The state or fact of knowing: Humans naturally aspire to knowledge. 2. Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study: has great knowledge of these parts; has only limited knowledge of chemistry. 3. The sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned: the extraordinary knowledge housed in the library. 4. Archaic Carnal knowledge. [Middle English knoulech : knouen, to know; see KNOW + -leche, n. suff.] Synonyms: knowledge, information, learning, erudition, scholarship, lore1 These nouns refer to what is known, as through study or experience. Knowledge is the broadest: "Science is organized knowledge" (Herbert Spencer). Information often implies a collection of facts and data: "A man's judgment cannot be better than the information on which he has based it" (Arthur Hays Sulzberger). Learning usually refers to knowledge gained by schooling and study: "Learning ... must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence" (Abigail Adams). Erudition implies profound, often specialized knowledge: "Some have criticized his poetry as elitist, unnecessarily impervious to readers who do not share his erudition" (Elizabeth Kastor). Scholarship is the mastery of a particular area of learning reflected in a scholar's work: A good journal article shows ample evidence of the author's scholarship. Lore is usually applied to knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote about a particular subject: Many American folktales concern the lore of frontier life. |
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