# philosopher

> English word · Noun · IPA /fɪˈlɒs.ə.fə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #10,906

## Definitions
1. A lover of wisdom.
2. A student of philosophy.
3. A scholar or expert engaged in or contributing to philosophical inquiry.
4. A person who applies the principles of philosophy to the conduct of their life, as by acting calmly and rationally in the face of inevitable change.
5. A student, scholar, or expert in any branch of knowledge, especially those branches studied prior to being considered part of pure science.
6. An alchemist.

## Etymology
From Middle English philosophre, from Anglo-Norman or Middle French philosophe, from Latin philosophus, from Ancient Greek φιλόσοφος (philósophos, literally “lover of wisdom”) + -er.
Credited as having been coined by Pythagoras to describe himself.
Displaced native Old English ūþwita.

## Easily confused with
- **philosophy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/philosopher-vs-philosophy)
- **philosophers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/philosopher-vs-philosophers)

## Common misspellings (17)
`hpilosopher`, `phhilosopher`, `phillosopher`, `philoospher`, `philosohper`, `philosopehr`, `philosopherr`, `philosophher`, `philosophre`, `philosoppher`, `philospoher`, `philossopher`, `philsoopher`, `phiolsopher`, `phliosopher`, `pihlosopher`, `pphilosopher`

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