philosophe

[fil-uh-sof, fil-uh-zof; French fee-law-zawf]

noun, plural phil·o·sophes

[fil-uh-sofs, fil-uh-zofs; French fee-law-zawf] /ˈfɪl əˌsɒfs, ˌfɪl əˈzɒfs; French fi lɔˈzɔf/.

any of the popular French intellectuals or social philosophers of the 18th century, as Diderot, Rousseau, or Voltaire.
a philosophaster.

Origin of philosophe

Borrowed into English from French around 1770–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for philosophe

Historical Examples of philosophe

During our stay of about a week at Philosophe the village was quiet.
Q.6.a and Other places
Francis Buckley
However, the philosophe was once more out of favour with Louis XV.
Odd Bits of History
Henry W. Wolff
But neither of them can in the least be called a philosophe.
A Short History of French Literature
George Saintsbury
She politely asks him whether he is not a philosophe, and whether philosophy is not a very beautiful thing?
A History of the French Novel, Vol. 1
George Saintsbury
"I desire to know nothing of those who knew nothing," was the saying, in reference to them, of the French philosophe.
The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 12, No. 74, December, 1863
Various

Word Origin and History for philosophe

"Enlightenment rationalist and skeptic," especially in reference to any of the French Encyclopædists, often disparaging (when used by believers), 1774, from French philosophe, literally "philosopher" (see philosopher). Usually italicized in English, but nativized by Peter Gay ("The Enlightenment," 1966) and others. Also philosophist (1798).