# pedant



## gjuhetar

English *pedant* means a person 1) who is too interested in formal rules and small unimportant details (= _pietluttige persoon_),
or 2) who ostentatiously shows off one's knowledge.

In English, the first meaning seems dominant these days.
Does Dutch *pedant *also have both of the meanings?

If so, which meaning is prevalent?


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## Suehil

I have never heard the English word 'pedant' used with your second meaning. Is there some regional variation that uses it in that way?


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## Peterdg

In Dutch, "pedant" is usually used with the second meaning (at least, in my ideolect).


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## gjuhetar

Thank you, Suehil and Peterdg!
Although I understand your answers, I'm still a bit perplexed when I come across *pedant*, because some dictionaries show both of the meanings.
As far as i can see, _most_ English *pedants* unduly emphasize minutiae or formalism, while _most_ Dutch *pedants* are ostentatious in the display of knowledge.


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## NewtonCircus

Dag gjuhetar

This is a common phenomenon for words borrowed from other languages. A typical example is the Dutch meaning of the word _bungalow_ which deviates from its “original” meaning in your mother tongue.

Groetjes Herman


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## gjuhetar

Bedankt NewtonCircus
So, do you also think that Dutch *pedant* usually refers to the second meaning?


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## NewtonCircus

gjuhetar said:


> Bedankt NewtonCircus
> So, do you also think that Dutch *pedant* usually refers to the second meaning?



Yes, I agree with Peter.


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## LeRenardReynaerde

gjuhetar said:


> English *pedant* means a person 1) who is too interested in formal rules and small unimportant details (= _pietluttige persoon_),
> or 2) who ostentatiously shows off one's knowledge.
> 
> In English, the first meaning seems dominant these days.
> Does Dutch *pedant *also have both of the meanings?
> 
> If so, which meaning is prevalent?



I'd say that Dutch meaning #1 is 'a person who ostentatiously shows off one's knowledge and is too interested in small unimportant details, know-it-all' and #2 'a self-important person who considers his opinions of the greatest importance'


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## Chimel

NewtonCircus said:


> This is a common phenomenon for words borrowed from other languages. A typical example is the Dutch meaning of the word _bungalow_ which deviates from its “original” meaning in your mother tongue.


Actually, in this case, it seems that _English _borrowed the word from another language (and gave a slight different meaning to it)! 

The origin is seemingly the old Italian word _pedante _meaning something like teacher, instructor (same etymology as peda-gogy). As we all know, some teachers tend to show off their knowledge... That's the reason for the 'second meaning' mentioned by gjuhetar, which is actually the first meaning in various European languages. But for some reason, it's the idea of extreme formalism and fussiness (another flaw some teachers may have...) which supplanted the other meaning in English.


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## Beninjam

In my own experience Dutch pedant is usually used as one would use pedantic in English.


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## ThomasK

I just thought about meaning #1: I think we do not use 'pietluttig persoon' in Dutch, only 'iemand die om pietluttigheden bezorgd is', but that is just a matter of use, I guess. The main problem I have is that you include 'formalisms' in the 'pietluttigheden'. I'd say: some people are _pietepeuterig _indeed, they may even become _muggenzifters, mierenneukers_, and one can be _scrupuleus, meticuleus, overdreven bezorgd, _about formalisms, but not all _vormelijkheden _and _formaliteiten _are _pietluttigheden_! Just try not conforming to some of those official _formaliteiten_, and see what happens...


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## NewtonCircus

Dag Chimel 



Chimel said:


> Actually, in this case, it seems that _English _borrowed the word from another language (and gave a slight different meaning to it)!


Interesting. This seems to be more of a mathematical problem, namely _transitivity_, rather than a linguistic one .

Groetjes Herman


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