pundit

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpʌn.dɪt/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Hindi पंडित (paṇḍit, “learned man”),^[2][3][4][5] from Sanskrit पण्डित (paṇḍita, “learned; scholar”),^[2][4][5] a word of uncertain origin,^[3] perhaps Dravidian.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first meant a learned Hindu, versed in Sanskrit, philosophy, religion and law.^[3][6][1]

Semantic evolution

By 1816 it was applied in English to any learned expert or teacher.^[3][6] It has since come to mean someone who gives opinions with authority, especially in the media.^[2][4][5][1]

Timeline

• 1670s – first recorded;^[3] the OED and Merriam-Webster date it 1672.^[6][4]
• 1816 – any learned expert.^[3][6]
• 1959 – verb, to pronounce like an expert.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A commentator or critic who gives opinions, especially in the media.
2. A learned person; an expert.
3. A pandit, a Hindu scholar.

Word family

• punditry
• punditic
• punditically
• punditocracy

Related words

• pandit

References

1. [1] [2] [3] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. [1] [2] [3] [4] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. [1] [2] [3] [4] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. [1] [2] [3] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press