knowledge

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

>.