Pronounced: par-uh-GNOH-sis, noun
Notes: I like this word! I’m not entirely sure under which circumstances I’d use it
Yesterday’s word
The word propaedeutic is “preparatory study or instruction”.
Background / Comments
The root for today’s word is the Greek word paideuein (to teach); this root and the “paedeu” part of todays’ word make me think of Star Wars “padawan”. The other part of today’s word is pro- (before). Although the word is normally used in scholarly circles, someone who take college “prep” courses in high school could be said to be taking propaedeutics. Also, when I attended college, some students had to take pre-English or pre-algebra classes; these were propaedeutics as well.
First usage
The word showed up in the late 1700s
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 