pedant

[ ped-nt ]
/ ˈpɛd nt /

noun

a person who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning.
a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details.
a person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense.
Obsolete. a schoolmaster.

Origin of pedant

1580–90; < Italian pedante teacher, pedant; apparently akin to pedagogue; see -ant

OTHER WORDS FROM pedant

ped·ant·esque, adjective ped·ant·hood, noun

Example sentences from the Web for pedant

British Dictionary definitions for pedant

pedant
/ (ˈpɛdənt) /

noun

a person who relies too much on academic learning or who is concerned chiefly with insignificant detail
archaic a schoolmaster or teacher

Word Origin for pedant

C16: via Old French from Italian pedante teacher; perhaps related to Latin paedagōgus pedagogue