ignoramus

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪɡnəˈɹeɪməs/
  • Rhymes: -eɪməs

Etymology 1

After the ignorant lawyer Ignoramus, the titular character in the 1615 play Ignoramus by the English playwright Georges Ruggle; from Latin īgnōrāmus (“we do not know, we are ignorant of”), the first-person plural present active indicative of īgnōrō (“I do not know, I am unacquainted with, I am ignorant of”).

Noun

ignoramus (plural ignoramuses)

  1. A totally ignorant person—unknowledgeable, uneducated, or uninformed; a fool.
Synonyms
  • See also Thesaurus:ignoramus

Usage notes

The hyper-correct plural form ignorami is seen by most as humorous and non-standard, as the word derives from a Latin verb and not a noun.

Translations

Etymology 2

Directly from Latin ignōrāmus (“we do not know”).

Noun

ignoramus (plural ignoramuses)

  1. (law, dated) A grand jury's ruling on an indictment when the evidence is determined to be insufficient to send the case to trial.

Anagrams

Latin

Verb

īgnōrāmus

  1. first-person plural present active indicative of īgnōrō
    Īgnōrāmus et īgnōrābimus.
    We do not know and will not know.
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