undergraduate English · revision 15510

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1630}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˌʌndəˈɡrædʒuət/, /ˌʌndəˈɡrædjuət/ ''(UK)''; /ˌʌndɚˈɡrædʒuət/, /ˌʌndɚˈɡrædʒəwət/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|en|under|graduate]], a hybrid of a native prefix and a Latin-derived word.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A university student who has not yet taken a first degree: 1630 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1620s in Etymonline.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Figuratively, one not yet expert in something, it is from before 1659.^(OED 1989) The adjective is from the 1680s (1685).^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The short form ''undergrad'' is from the 19th century,^(Hoad 1986) and the jocular feminine ''undergraduette'' was used in British English in the 1920s and 1930s.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1630 – an undergraduate.^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1659 – a novice (figurative).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1685 – undergraduate (adjective).^(OED 1989)

+ * 19th century – undergrad.^(Hoad 1986)

+ * 1920s – undergraduette.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A university or college student who has not yet taken a first degree.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Relating to or characteristic of undergraduates.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[undergraduateship]]

+ * [[nonundergraduate]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[graduate]]

+ * [[postgraduate]]

+ * [[undergrad]]

+ * [[grade]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}