pedant
Other forms: pedants
A pedant is an annoying person who is focused on minor details and book knowledge rather than ordinary common sense. In war, it can be dangerous to have a pedant as commander — he'll insist on textbook maneuvers instead of adapting to circumstances on the ground.
This word was borrowed from French pédant or Italian pedante "teacher, schoolmaster," but its ultimate origin is unknown. One theory is that the original meaning of Italian pedante was "foot soldier," associated with the Italian word pedagogo "teacher" because teachers are always on their feet. Another theory is that Italian pedante was formed from the root of Greek paideuein "to teach," which happens to be the source of English pedagogue "teacher." In fact, a pedagogue is a pedantic teacher.
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a person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they meritsynonyms: bookworm, scholastictypes:puristsomeone who insists on great precision and correctness (especially in the use of words)type of:bookman, scholar, scholarly person, studenta learned person (especially in the humanities); someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines
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Vocabulary lists containing pedant
In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury imagines a dystopian future in which firemen burn banned books and people are constantly bombarded with mindless entertainment. This classic novel is as powerful and relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1953.
In this comedy, a wealthy lord refuses to allow his younger daughter to marry unless her willful older sister gets married first.