bluestocking
[ bloo-stok-ing ]
/ ˈbluˌstɒk ɪŋ /
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noun
a woman with considerable scholarly, literary, or intellectual ability or interest.
a member of a mid-18th-century London literary circle: Lady Montagu was a celebrated bluestocking.
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Origin of bluestocking
1675–85; so called from the informal attire, especially blue woolen instead of black silk stockings, worn by some women of the group (def. 2)
OTHER WORDS FROM bluestocking
blue·stock·ing·ism, nounWords nearby bluestocking
blues-rock, blue stain, blue state, blue stellar object, bluestem, bluestocking, bluestone, blue straggler, blue streak, blue succory, blue swimmer
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for bluestocking
bluestocking
/ (ˈbluːˌstɒkɪŋ) /
noun
usually derogatory a scholarly or intellectual woman
Word Origin for bluestocking
from the blue worsted stockings worn by members of a C18 literary society
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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