pundit
[ puhn-dit ]
/ ˈpʌn dɪt /
noun
a learned person, expert, or authority.
a person who makes comments or judgments, especially in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.
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RELATED WORDS
scholar, expert, professor, intellectual, philosopher, buff, cognoscenti, thinker, auger, egghead, savant, brain, bookworm, teacher, solon
Nearby words
punctum vasculosum, puncture, puncture vine, puncture weed, puncture wound, pundit, punditocracy, punditry, pune, pung, punga
Origin of pundit
1665–75; < Hindi paṇḍit < Sanskrit paṇḍita learned man, (adj.) learned
Related formspun·dit·ic, adjectivepun·dit·i·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pundit
British Dictionary definitions for pundit
pundit
/ (ˈpʌndɪt) /
noun
an expert
(formerly) a learned person
Also called: pandit a Brahman learned in Sanskrit and, esp in Hindu religion, philosophy or law
Word Origin for pundit
C17: from Hindi pandit, from Sanskrit pandita learned man, from pandita learned
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for pundit
pundit
1670s, "learned Hindu," especially one versed in Sanskrit lore, from Hindi payndit "a learned man, master, teacher," from Sanskrit payndita-s "a learned man, scholar," of uncertain origin. Broader application in English is first recorded 1816. Related: Punditry.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper