pedantry

English

Etymology

pedant + -ry. From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French pedant, pedante, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Italian pedante (“a teacher, schoolmaster, pedant”), of uncertain origin, traced by some sources to Latin paedagogans, present participle of paedagogare ( = to teach, from Greek "paedagogein" = to instruct children ). Confer French pédanterie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛd.ən.tɹi/

• Audio (SA):

  (file)

Noun

pedantry (countable and uncountable, plural pedantries)

1. An excessive attention to detail or rules.
   1. An instance of such behaviour.

      I don't want to listen to your pedantries anymore.

2. An overly ambitious display of learning.

Related terms

• pedant
• pedantic
• pedantocracy

Translations

excessive attention to detail or rules

• Danish: pedanteri (da)
• Dutch: betweterigheid f, frikkerigheid
• Finnish: pikkutarkkuus, pedanttisuus (fi), saivartelu (fi)
• French: pédantisme (fr) m
• Greek: σχολαστικότητα (el) f (scholastikótita)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: smámunasemi f, smásmygli f
• Portuguese: pedantismo (pt) m
• Swedish: pedanteri (sv) n

instance of being pedantic

• Finnish: viisastelu (fi), saivartelu (fi)
• Icelandic: smámunasemi f, smásmygli f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: pedantice f
• Spanish: pedantería (es) f

overly ambitious display of learning

• Dutch: pedanterie
• Finnish: viisastelu (fi), rikkiviisaus
• French: pédanterie (fr) f
• German: Pedanterie (de) f
• Greek: δοκησισοφία (el) f (dokisisofía)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: דקדוקי עניות (he) (dikdûkei aniyût)
• Korean: 현학 (hyeonhak)
• Portuguese: pedantismo (pt) m
• Spanish: pedantería (es) f

Further reading

• “pedantry”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “pedantry”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “pedantry”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.