n. See Bairn. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Versed in books; having knowledge derived from books. [ Often in a disparaging sense. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Whate'er these book-learned blockheads say,
Solon's the veriest fool in all the play. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being clear.

Syn. -- Clearness, Perspicuity. Clearness has reference to our ideas, and springs from a distinct conception of the subject under consideration. Perspicuity has reference to the mode of expressing our ideas and belongs essentially to style. Hence we speak of a writer as having clear ideas, a clear arrangement, and perspicuous phraseology. We do at times speak of a person's having great clearness of style; but in such cases we are usually thinking of the clearness of his ideas as manifested in language. “Whenever men think clearly, and are thoroughly interested, they express themselves with perspicuity and force.” Robertson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ AS. derne, dyrne, dierne, hidden, secret. Cf. Derne. ] Secret; lonely; solitary; dreadful. [ Obs. ] Shak. -- Dearn"ly, adv. [Obs.] Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

v. t. Same as Darn. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The quality or state of being dear; costliness; excess of price. [ 1913 Webster ]

The dearness of corn. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fondness; preciousness; love; tenderness. [ 1913 Webster ]

The dearness of friendship. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zoöl.) See Ern, n. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Earned p. pr. & vb. n. Earning. ] [ AS. earnian; akin to OHG. arnōn to reap, aran harvest, G. ernte, Goth. asans harvest, asneis hireling, AS. esne; cf. Icel. önn working season, work. ] 1. To merit or deserve, as by labor or service; to do that which entitles one to (a reward, whether the reward is received or not). [ 1913 Webster ]

The high repute
Which he through hazard huge must earn. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To acquire by labor, service, or performance; to deserve and receive as compensation or wages; as, to earn a good living; to earn honors or laurels. [ 1913 Webster ]

I earn that [ what ] I eat. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The bread I have earned by the hazard of my life or the sweat of my brow. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Earned run (Baseball), a run which is made without the assistance of errors on the opposing side.

Syn. -- See Obtain. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ See 1st Yearn. ] To grieve. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ See 4th Yearn. ] To long; to yearn. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

And ever as he rode, his heart did earn
To prove his puissance in battle brave. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ AS. irnan to run. √11. See Rennet, and cf. Yearnings. ] To curdle, as milk. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. Gained as a result of effort or action; -- used especially of income; as, earned income. Contrasted with unearned. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. (Baseball) not resulting from an error by an opposing team; -- used in the phrase earned runs. [ PJC ]

n. someone who earns wages in return for labor.
Syn. -- wage earner. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ AS. eornost, eornest; akin to OHG. ernust, G. ernst; cf. Icel. orrosta battle, perh. akin to Gr. 'orny`nai to excite, L. oriri to rise. ] Seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness. [ 1913 Webster ]

Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

And given in earnest what I begged in jest. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

In earnest, serious; seriously; not in jest; earnestly. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Ardent in the pursuit of an object; eager to obtain or do; zealous with sincerity; with hearty endeavor; heartfelt; fervent; hearty; -- used in a good sense; as, earnest prayers. [ 1913 Webster ]

An earnest advocate to plead for him. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Serious; important. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

They whom earnest lets do often hinder. Hooker.

Syn. -- Eager; warm; zealous; ardent; animated; importunate; fervent; sincere; serious; hearty; urgent. See Eager. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To use in earnest. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To earnest them [ our arms ] with men. Pastor Fido (1602). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prob. corrupted fr. F. arrhes, L. arra, arrha, arrhabo, Gr. 'arrabw`n, of Semitic origin, cf. Heb. ērāvōn; or perh. fr. W. ernes, akin to Gael. earlas, perh. fr. L. arra. Cf. Arles, Earles penny. ] 1. Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Cor. i. 22. [ 1913 Webster ]

And from his coffers
Received the golden earnest of our death. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) Something of value given by the buyer to the seller, by way of token or pledge, to bind the bargain and prove the sale. Kent. Ayliffe. Benjamin. [ 1913 Webster ]

Earnest money (Law), money paid as earnest, to bind a bargain or to ratify and prove a sale.

Syn. -- Earnest, Pledge. These words are here compared as used in their figurative sense. Earnest is not so strong as pledge. An earnest, like first fruits, gives assurance, or at least a high probability, that more is coming of the same kind; a pledge, like money deposited, affords security and ground of reliance for the future. Washington gave earnest of his talent as commander by saving his troops after Braddock's defeat; his fortitude and that of his soldiers during the winter at Valley Forge might rightly be considered a pledge of their ultimate triumph. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Serious. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an earnest manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being earnest; intentness; anxiety. [ 1913 Webster ]

An honest earnestness in the young man's manner. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Earn to yearn. ] Full of anxiety or yearning. [ Obs. ] P. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Earnings That which is earned; wages gained by work or services; money earned; -- used commonly in the plural. [ 1913 Webster ]

As to the common people, their stock is in their persons and in their earnings. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A fearless person. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A stout woolen cloth of great thickness; dreadnaught; also, a warm garment. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Imperfectly learned. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Learned or Learnt (l&etilde_;rnt); p. pr. & vb. n. Learning. ] [ OE. lernen, leornen, AS. leornian; akin to OS. linōn, for lirnōn, OHG. lirnēn, lernēn, G. lernen, fr. the root of AS. l&aemacr_;ran to teach, OS. lērian, OHG. lēran, G. lehren, Goth. laisjan, also Goth lais I know, leis acquainted (in comp.); all prob. from a root meaning, to go, go over, and hence, to learn; cf. AS. leoran to go. Cf. Last a mold of the foot, lore. ] 1. To gain knowledge or information of; to ascertain by inquiry, study, or investigation; to receive instruction concerning; to fix in the mind; to acquire understanding of, or skill; as, to learn the way; to learn a lesson; to learn dancing; to learn to skate; to learn the violin; to learn the truth about something. “Learn to do well.” Is. i. 17. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now learn a parable of the fig tree. Matt. xxiv. 32. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To communicate knowledge to; to teach. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Hast thou not learned me how
To make perfumes ? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Learn formerly had also the sense of teach, in accordance with the analogy of the French and other languages, and hence we find it with this sense in Shakespeare, Spenser, and other old writers. This usage has now passed away. To learn is to receive instruction, and to teach is to give instruction. He who is taught learns, not he who teaches. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To acquire knowledge or skill; to make progress in acquiring knowledge or skill; to receive information or instruction; as, this child learns quickly. [ 1913 Webster ]

Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Matt. xi. 29. [ 1913 Webster ]

To learn by heart. See By heart, under Heart. --
To learn by rote, to memorize by repetition without exercise of the understanding. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Such as can be learned. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to learning; possessing, or characterized by, learning, esp. scholastic learning; erudite; well-informed; as, a learned scholar, writer, or lawyer; a learned book; a learned theory. [ 1913 Webster ]

The learnedlover lost no time. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Men of much reading are greatly learned, but may be little knowing. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Words of learned length and thundering sound. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

The learned, learned men; men of erudition; scholars.

-- Learn"ed*ly, adv. Learn"ed*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every coxcomb swears as learnedly as they. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. profound knowledge.
Syn. -- eruditeness, erudition, learning, scholarship. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who learns; a scholar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. leornung. ] 1. The acquisition of knowledge or skill; as, the learning of languages; the learning of telegraphy. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The knowledge or skill received by instruction or study; acquired knowledge or ideas in any branch of science or literature; erudition; literature; science; as, he is a man of great learning. [ 1913 Webster ]

Book learning. See under Book.

Syn. -- Literature; erudition; lore; scholarship; science; letters. See Literature. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To learn wrongly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being near; -- used in the various senses of the adjective. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To excel or surpass in learing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To learn out [ i. e., completely, utterly ]; to exhaust knowledge of. [ 1913 Webster ]

Naught, according to his mind,
He could outlearn. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Men and gods have not outlearned it [ love ]. Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Too earnest. -- O"ver*ear"nest*ly, adv. -- O"ver*ear"nest*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To learn (a fact or skill) repetitively, beyond the point where it can be immediately recalled; in experimental psychology, to continue to learn beyond the point where the criterion of adequate learning has been reached. [ PJC ]

a. Too learned. -- O"ver*learn"ed, adv. -- O"ver*learn"ed*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Learned by repetitive practice or memorization, beyond the point where it can be immediately recalled. [ PJC ]

n. [ AS. scearn. Cf. Scarn. ] Dung; excrement. [ Obs. ] [ Written also shern. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not earned; not gained by labor or service. [ 1913 Webster ]

Unearned increment (Polit. Econ.), a increase in the value of land due to no labor or expenditure on the part of the owner, but to natural causes, such as the increase of population, the growth of a town in the vicinity, or the like. Some hold that this should belong to the nation. [ 1913 Webster ]

See drainable.
See dramatic.
See drinkable.
See durable.
See duteous.
See dutiful.
See earnest.
See eatable.
See ecclesiastical.
See edible.
See elaborate.
See elective.
See elusive.
See emotional.
See emphatic. See employable.
See employable.
See endurable.
See -English.
See entire.
See enviable.
See envious.
See episcopal.
See equable.
See errable.
See escapable.
See evangelical.
See eventful.
See evident.
See exact.
See examinable.
See exceptionable.
See exclusive.
See exemplary.
See exempt.
See exhaustible.
See existent.
See expectable.
See expectant.
See explainable.
See express.
See expressible.
See expugnable.
See extinct.
See factious.
See fadable.
See fain.
See familiar.
See famous.
See fashionable.
See fast.
See fatherly.
See fathomable.
See faulty.
See fearful.
See feasible.
See felicitous.
See felt.
See feminine.
See fermentable.
See festival.
See fine.
See fleshy.
See fluent.
See forcible.
See fordable.
See foreknowable.
See foreseeable.
See forgetful.
See forgivable.
See formal.
See framable.
See fraternal.
See friable.
See frightful.
See frustrable.
See full.
See gainable.
See gainful.
See gallant.
See genial.
See genteel.
See gentle.
See gentlemanlike.
See gentlemanly.
See geometrical.
See ghostly.
See glad.
See godlike.
See good.
See goodly.
See gorgeous.
See grammatical.
See grave.
See guidable.
See guilty.
See habile.
See habitable.
See hale.
See handy.
See hardy.
See harmful.
See hasty.
See hazardous.
See healable.
See healthful.
See healthy.
See heavenly.
See heedful.
See helpful.
See heritable.
[ 1913 Webster ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ 1st pref. un- + learn. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To forget, as what has been learned; to lose from memory; also, to learn the contrary of. [ 1913 Webster ]

I had learned nothing right; I had to unlearn everything. Milner. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To fail to learn. [ Obs. ] Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. un- + learned. ] 1. Not learned; untaught; uneducated; ignorant; illiterate. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not gained by study; not known. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Not exhibiting learning; as, unlearned verses. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Un*learn"ed*ly, adv. -- Un*learn"ed*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Yearned p. pr. & vb. n. Yearning. ] [ Also earn, ern; probably a corruption of OE. ermen to grieve, AS. ierman, yrman, or geierman, geyrman, fr. earm wretched, poor; akin to D. & G. arm, Icel. armr, Goth. arms. The y- in English is perhaps due to the AS. ge (see Y-). ] To pain; to grieve; to vex. [ Obs. ] “She laments, sir, for it, that it would yearn your heart to see it.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

It yearns me not if men my garments wear. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To be pained or distressed; to grieve; to mourn. [ Obs. ] “Falstaff he is dead, and we must yearn therefore.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. & t. [ See Yearnings. ] To curdle, as milk. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ OE. yernen, &yogh_;ernen, &yogh_;eornen, AS. geornian, gyrnan, fr. georn desirous, eager; akin to OS. gern desirous, girnean, gernean, to desire, D. gaarne gladly, willingly, G. gern, OHG. gerno, adv., gern, a., G. gier greed, OHG. girī greed, ger desirous, gerōn to desire, G. begehren, Icel. girna to desire, gjarn eager, Goth. faíhugaírns covetous, gaírnjan to desire, and perhaps to Gr. chai`rein to rejoice, be glad, Skr. hary to desire, to like. √33. ] To be filled with longing desire; to be harassed or rendered uneasy with longing, or feeling the want of a thing; to strain with emotions of affection or tenderness; to long; to be eager. [ 1913 Webster ]

Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother; and he sought where to weep. Gen. xliii. 30. [ 1913 Webster ]

Your mother's heart yearns towards you. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OE. &yogh_;eornful, AS. geornfull. ] Desirous. [ Obs. ] Ormulum. P. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. prolonged unfulfilled desire or need.
Syn. -- longing. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. full of longing or unfulfilled desire.
Syn. -- wistful. [ WordNet 1.5 ]