One of the avid readers of my blog the other day asked me innocently, “Hi. What you write is pretty interesting. But tell me, what is the meaning of your blog?”
I was slightly taken aback. What he basically told me within the lines was that he did not know what the word “erudition” meant.
I was wondering why I was not completely surprised. We all are very happy to live with some basic vocabulary. We don’t really want to learn many words. “What for? I am not going to go for the spelling bee contest” is the typical refrain I hear.
But, knowing many words is not just about competing in the spelling bee contest. It is about loving and knowing words so that one can expres better.
Well. Erudition means well learned. Erudite means a person who is well learned. Peak of erudition means somebody who is so very well learned.