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nescience

noun
ne·​science | \ ˈne-sh(Ä“-)É™n(t)s How to pronounce nescience (audio) , ˈnÄ“-, -sÄ“-É™n(t)s How to pronounce nescience (audio) \

Definition of nescience

: lack of knowledge or awareness : ignorance
Other Words from nescience Synonyms & Antonyms Gain Some Knowledge of Nescience Example Sentences Learn More about nescience

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Other Words from nescience

nescient \ ˈne-​sh(Ä“-​)É™nt How to pronounce nescient (audio) , ˈnÄ“-​ , -​sÄ“-​É™nt \ adjective

Gain Some Knowledge of Nescience

Eighteenth-century British poet, essayist, and lexicographer Samuel Johnson once said, "There is nothing so minute or inconsiderable that I would not rather know it than not know it." He probably knew a thing or two about the history of the word nescience, which evolved from a combination of the Latin prefix ne-, meaning "not," and scire, a verb meaning "to know." And he may also have known that scire is an ancestor of science, a word whose original meaning in English was "knowledge."

Examples of nescience in a Sentence

the appalling nescience of today's high schoolers concerning international affairs

First Known Use of nescience

1612, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for nescience

Late Latin nescientia, from Latin nescient-, nesciens, present participle of nescire not to know, from ne- not + scire to know — more at no, science

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More from Merriam-Webster on nescience

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for nescience

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