| Word | omniscient |
|---|---|
| Date | July 16, 2021 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | ahm-NISH-unt |
| Etymology | One who is omniscient literally knows all. The word omniscient combines two Latin roots: omni-, meaning "all" or "universally," and the verb scire, meaning "to know." You will recognize omni- as the prefix that tells all in such words as omnivorous ("eating all" or, in actual use, "eating both plants and animals") and omnipotent ("all-powerful"). Scire likewise has a number of other knowledge-related descendants in English, including conscience, science, and prescience (meaning "foreknowledge"). |
| Examples | "You'll need to tell me when you don't understand something I've said," Maria said. "I'm not omniscient, you know." "I suppose I had boxed myself into a corner by making the story first person, present tense, and thus not allowing for an omniscient narrator who could act as the Greek chorus for the reader, explaining as needed." — Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, quoted in The New Yorker, 24 May 2021 |
| Definition | 1 : having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight 2 : possessed of universal or complete knowledge |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Flounder verb means founder word meaning act july
Previous card: Torpor word state temperature english 13th-century latin meaning
Up to card list: Word of the Day