prettygoodword: text: words are sexy (Default)
prettygoodword ([personal profile] prettygoodword) wrote2006-03-17 07:18 am

clerisy

clerisy - n., the well-educated class, intelligentsia.


The literati, or nowadays, possibly, the digerati. From German Klerisei, clergy, from Medieval Latin clericia, from Late Latin clericus, priest, from Late Greek klerikos, belonging to the clergy, from Greek kleros, inheritance, lot, in allusion to Deuteronomy 18:2 ("Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Lord is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them"). Which last origin I'd never known -- neat.

---L.

Post a comment in response:

This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting