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pundit

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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WOTD – 15 November 2008

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
Sanskrit पण्डा (paṇḍā)
Proto-Indo-European *-tós
Proto-Indo-Iranian *-tás
Sanskrit -इत (-ita)
Sanskrit पण्डित (paṇḍita)bor.
Hindi पंडित (paṇḍit)bor.
Urdu پَنْڈِٹ (panḍiṭ)bor.
English pundit

    Borrowed from Hindi पंडित (paṇḍit) / Urdu پنڈت (panḍit), from Sanskrit पण्डित (paṇḍita, “scholar, learned man, teacher, philosopher”). Doublet of pandit.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    pundit (plural pundits)

    1. An expert in a particular field, especially as called upon to provide comment or opinion in the media; a commentator, a critic. [from 19th c.]
      • 2006 June 4, The Observer:
        This week we introduce Jenny Walker, who will be The Observer's expert pundit for the duration of the World Cup.
    2. A learned person in India; someone with knowledge of Sanskrit, philosophy, religion and law; a Hindu scholar. [from 17th c.]
      • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, ‘On the City Wall’, In Black and White, Folio Society, published 2005, page 430:
        Pundits in black gowns, with spectacles on their noses and undigested wisdom in their insides; bearded headmen of the wards; [...] all these people and more also you might find in the white room.
    3. (historical) A native surveyor in British India, trained to carry out clandestine surveillance beyond British borders.
      • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 295:
        At every hundredth pace the Pundit would automatically slip one bead. Each complete circuit of the rosary thus represented ten thousand paces.

    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    See also

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    Further reading

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