Where does “pedantry” come from?
Pedantry comes from Middle French pedant, from Italian pedante, from Latin pedis, relating to the foot or a child's tutor, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ped-.
pedantry (English): An excessive attention to detail or rules; An...
Definitions
- An excessive attention to detail or rules; An...
Ancestry of “pedantry”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | pedanteria | pedantry, fastidiousness |
| 2 | French | pédanterie | pedantry |
| 3 | French | pédant | schoolmaster; pedant; pretentious person;... |
| 4 | Italian | pedante | pedantic; schoolmaster; teacher |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | παιδεία | upbringing; training, education; youth, childhood |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | παιδεύω | I raise, bring up a child; I train, teach,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | παῖς | child, son, daughter; young person, child, boy,... |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | pā́wits | child |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | péh₂wids | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂w- | few, little; smallness |