knowledge

knowledge (nŏlʹĭj) noun

[Middle English knowlech : knowen, to know. See know + -leche, n. suff.]

Synonyms: knowledge, information, learning, erudition, lore, scholarship. These nouns refer to what is known, as by having been acquired through study or experience. Knowledge is the broadest; it includes facts and ideas, understanding, and the totality of what is known: "A knowledge of Greek thought and life, and of the arts in which the Greeks expressed their thought and sentiment, is essential to high culture" (Charles Eliot Norton). "Science is organized knowledge" (Herbert Spencer). Information is usually construed as being narrower in scope than knowledge; it often implies a collection of facts and data: "Obviously, a man's judgment cannot be better than the information on which he has based it" (Arthur Hays Sulzberger). Learning usually refers to knowledge that is gained by schooling and study: "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence" (Abigail Adams). Erudition implies profound knowledge, often in a specialized area: "Some have criticized his poetry as elitist, unnecessarily impervious to readers who do not share his erudition" (Elizabeth Kastor). Lore is usually applied to knowledge about a particular subject that is gained through tradition or anecdote: Early peoples passed on plant and animal lore through legend. Scholarship is the knowledge of a scholar whose mastery of a particular area of learning is reflected in the scope, thoroughness, and quality of his or her work: a book that gives ample evidence of the author's scholarship.