ignoramus
[ ig-nuh-rey-muhs, -ram-uhs ]
/ ˌɪg nəˈreɪ məs, -ˈræm əs /
noun, plural ig·no·ra·mus·es.
an extremely ignorant person.
Nearby words
- ignitron,
- ignivomous,
- ignoble,
- ignominious,
- ignominy,
- ignorance,
- ignorance is bliss,
- ignorant,
- ignoratio elenchi,
- ignore
Origin of ignoramus
1570–80; < Latin ignōrāmus we ignore (1st person plural present indicative of ignōrāre to be ignorant of, ignore); hence name of an ignorant lawyer in the play Ignoramus (1615) by the English playwright G. Ruggle, whence current sense
SYNONYMS FOR ignoramus
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ignoramus
ignoramus
/ (ˌɪɡnəˈreɪməs) /
noun plural -muses
an ignorant person; fool
Word Origin for ignoramus
C16: from legal Latin, literally: we have no knowledge of, from Latin ignōrāre to be ignorant of; see ignore; modern usage originated from the use of Ignoramus as the name of an unlettered lawyer in a play by G. Ruggle, 17th-century English dramatist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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ignoramus
1570s, from an Anglo-French legal term (early 15c.), from Latin ignoramus "we do not know," first person present indicative of ignorare "not to know" (see ignorant). The legal term was one a grand jury could write on a bill when it considered the prosecution's evidence insufficient. Sense of "ignorant person" came from the title role of George Ruggle's 1615 play satirizing the ignorance of common lawyers.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper