philosopher
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /fɪˈlɒs.ə.fə(ɹ)/
ipa: /fəˈlɑsəfəɹ/
Forms: form: philosophers
form: phylosopher
Etymology: From Middle English philosophre, from Anglo-Norman or Middle French philosophe, from Latin philosophus, from Ancient Greek φιλόσοφος (philósophos, literally “lover of wisdom”) + -er.
Credited as having been coined by Pythagoras to describe himself.
Displaced native Old English ūþwita.
Senses: qualifier: originally
glosses: A lover of wisdom.
glosses: A student of philosophy.
examples: text: Their playwrights knew better. Scandal, murder, hair-rending and railing against the gods sold tickets. King is not a philosopher. He knows how to sell tickets.
ref: 2007, Harold Bloom, Bloom's Modern Critical Views: Stephen King:
glosses: A scholar or expert engaged in or contributing to philosophical inquiry.
examples: text: Then certaine Philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoikes, encountred him
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 17:18:
text: This is not the sort of happiness which a man would in general wish to owe to his wife; but where other powers of entertainment are wanting, the true philosopher will derive benefit from such as are given.
ref: 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
glosses: A person who applies the principles of philosophy to the conduct of their life, as by acting calmly and rationally in the face of inevitable change.
glosses: A student, scholar, or expert in any branch of knowledge, especially those branches studied prior to being considered part of pure science.
examples: text: Then thus conclude I, since that God of heaven
Will not that these philosophers neven
How that a man shall come unto this stone,
I rede as for the best to let it gon.
ref: 1813, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: The Canon's Yeoman's Tale:
text: No further progress was made in this science until the Mohammedan alchemists embarked upon their search for the philosopher's stone, the elixir of life, and a method of transmuting base metals into gold.
ref: 1945, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy:
glosses: An alchemist.
Synonyms: word: philosopher
Hypernyms: word: person
Hyponyms: word: ontologist
word: metaphysician
word: logician
word: epistemologist
word: ethicist
word: aesthetician
word: empiricist
word: rationalist
word: monist
word: dualist
word: pluralist
word: realist
word: idealist
word: materialist
word: existentialist
word: nihilist
word: Aristotelian
word: Platonist
word: Kantian
word: Kuhnian
word: Marxist
word: Popperian
word: Spinozist
Derived terms: analytic philosopher
antiphilosopher
biophilosopher
cyberphilosopher
ecophilosopher
ethnophilosopher
fire philosopher
foolosopher
geophilosopher
macaroni philosopher
metaphilosopher
natural philosopher
neurophilosopher
nonphilosopher
philosopher by fire
philosopheress
philosopher king
philosopher-king
philosopher of fire
philosopher's game
philosophership
philosopher's lamp
philosopher's stone
philosophers' stone
philosopher's wool
philosophess
philosophress
pseudophilosopher
theophilosopher
unphilosopher
Related terms: word: misosopher
word: philosophaster
word: philosophe
word: philosophical
word: philosophical method
word: philosophicide
word: philosophizer
word: philosophy
word: scholar
word: thinker
word: reasoner
word: arguer
word: rhetorician
word: sophist
word: scientist
word: author
word: writer
word: reason
word: abstraction
word: generality
word: Appendix:Roget MICRA thesaurus/Class IV § 492. Scholar
word: Appendix:Moby Thesaurus II/62 § philosopher
word: Appendix:Glossary of philosophical isms