Adjacent Words

Knowledge definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

KNOWL'EDGE, n. nol'lej.
1. A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.
We can have no knowledge of that which does not exist. God has a perfect knowledge of all his works. Human knowledge is very limited, and is mostly gained by observation and experience.
2. Learning; illumination of mind.
Ignorance is the curse of God, knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.
3. Skill; as a knowledge of seamanship.
4. Acquaintance with any fact or person. I have no knowledge of the man or thing.
5. Cognizance; notice. Ruth 2.
6. Information; power of knowing.
7. Sexual intercourse. But it is usual to prefix carnal; as carnal knowledge.
KNOWLEDGE, for acknowledge or avow, is not used.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning [syn: cognition, knowledge, noesis]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English knowlege, from knowlechen to acknowledge, irregular from knowen Date: 14th century 1. obsolete cognizance 2. a. (1) the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association (2) acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique b. (1) the fact or condition of being aware of something (2) the range of one's information or understanding <answered to the best of my knowledge> c. the circumstance or condition of apprehending truth or fact through reasoning ; cognition d. the fact or condition of having information or of being learned <a person of unusual knowledge> 3. archaic sexual intercourse 4. a. the sum of what is known ; the body of truth, information, and principles acquired by mankind b. archaic a branch of learning Synonyms: knowledge, learning, erudition, scholarship mean what is or can be known by an individual or by mankind. knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience <rich in the knowledge of human nature>. learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling <a book that demonstrates vast learning>. erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning <an erudition unusual even in a scholar>. scholarship implies the possession of learning characteristic of the advanced scholar in a specialized field of study or investigation <a work of first-rate literary scholarship>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a (usu. foll. by of) awareness or familiarity gained by experience (of a person, fact, or thing) (have no knowledge of that). b a person's range of information (is not within his knowledge). 2 a (usu. foll. by of) a theoretical or practical understanding of a subject, language, etc. (has a good knowledge of Greek). b the sum of what is known (every branch of knowledge). 3 Philos. true, justified belief; certain understanding, as opp. to opinion. 4 = carnal knowledge. Phrases and idioms: come to one's knowledge become known to one. to my knowledge 1 so far as I know. 2 as I know for certain. Etymology: ME knaulege, with earlier knawlechen (v.) formed as KNOW + OE -læcan f. lac as in WEDLOCK

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Knowledge Knowl"edge, n. [OE. knowlage, knowlege, knowleche, knawleche. The last part is the Icel. suffix -leikr, forming abstract nouns, orig. the same as Icel. leikr game, play, sport, akin to AS. l[=a]c, Goth. laiks dance. See Know, and cf. Lake, v. i., Lark a frolic.] 1. The act or state of knowing; clear perception of fact, truth, or duty; certain apprehension; familiar cognizance; cognition. Knowledge, which is the highest degree of the speculative faculties, consists in the perception of the truth of affirmative or negative propositions. --Locke. 2. That which is or may be known; the object of an act of knowing; a cognition; -- chiefly used in the plural. There is a great difference in the delivery of the mathematics, which are the most abstracted of knowledges. --Bacon. Knowledges is a term in frequent use by Bacon, and, though now obsolete, should be revived, as without it we are compelled to borrow ``cognitions'' to express its import. --Sir W. Hamilton. To use a word of Bacon's, now unfortunately obsolete, we must determine the relative value of knowledges. --H. Spencer. 3. That which is gained and preserved by knowing; instruction; acquaintance; enlightenment; learning; scholarship; erudition. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. --1 Cor. viii. 1. Ignorance is the curse of God; - Knowledge, the wing wherewith we fly to heaven. --Shak. 4. That familiarity which is gained by actual experience; practical skill; as, a knowledge of life. Shipmen that had knowledge of the sea. --1 Kings ix. 27. 5. Scope of information; cognizance; notice; as, it has not come to my knowledge. Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldst take knowledge of me? --Ruth ii. 10. 6. Sexual intercourse; -- usually preceded by carnal; as, carnal knowledge. Syn: See Wisdom.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Knowledge Knowl"edge, v. t. To acknowledge. [Obs.] ``Sinners which knowledge their sins.'' --Tyndale.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Knowledge is information and understanding about a subject which a person has, or which all people have. She told Parliament she had no knowledge of the affair. ...the quest for scientific knowledge. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp 2. If you say that something is true to your knowledge or to the best of your knowledge, you mean that you believe it to be true but it is possible that you do not know all the facts. Alec never carried a gun to my knowledge... PHRASE: PHR with cl/group 3. If you do something safe in the knowledge that something else is the case, you do the first thing confidently because you are sure of the second thing. (WRITTEN) You can let your kids play here, safe in the knowledge that they won't get sunburn. PHRASE: PHR after v, usu PHR that

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Apprehension, comprehension, perception, understanding, discernment, judgment. 2. Learning, erudition, scholarship, enlightenment, lore, acquirements, attainments, information. 3. Cognizance, cognition, notice, information.

Moby Thesaurus

IQ, account, acquaintance, adeptness, advice, announcement, appreciation, apprehension, awareness, blue book, briefing, broadening the mind, bulletin, caliber, capacity, cognition, communication, communique, comprehension, conception, consciousness, data, datum, deductive power, directory, discernment, dispatch, education, enlightenment, erudition, esemplastic power, evidence, experience, expertise, facts, factual information, familiarity, familiarization, gen, general information, grasp, guidebook, handout, hard information, ideation, incidental information, info, information, insight, instruction, integrative power, intellect, intellectual acquirement, intellectual grasp, intellectual power, intellectualism, intellectuality, intelligence, intelligence quotient, knowing, learning, light, lore, mastery of skills, memorization, mental age, mental capacity, mental cultivation, mental culture, mental grasp, mental ratio, mentality, mention, message, mother wit, native wit, news, notice, notification, power of mind, presentation, proficiency, promotional material, proof, publication, publicity, rationality, reasoning power, release, report, sanity, scholarship, schooling, science, scope of mind, self-instruction, sense, sidelight, statement, storing the mind, the dope, the goods, the know, the scoop, thinking power, transmission, understanding, white book, white paper, wisdom, wit, word