# pedant

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɛdənt/ · frequency rank #81,688

## Definitions
1. A person who makes an excessive or tedious show of their knowledge, especially regarding rules of vocabulary and grammar.
2. A person who is overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning.
3. A teacher or schoolmaster.

## Etymology
From Middle French pedant, pedante, from Italian pedante (“a teacher, schoolmaster, pedant”), associated with unrelated Italian pedagogo (“teacher, pedagogue”). Compare French pédant.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/pedant