learning

[lur-ning] /ˈlɜr nɪŋ/
noun
1.
knowledge acquired by systematic study in any field of scholarly application.
2.
the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill.
3.
Psychology. the modification of behavior through practice, training, or experience.
Origin
before 900; Middle English lerning, Old English leornung. See learn, -ing1
Related forms
unlearning, adjective
Synonyms
1. Learning, erudition, lore, scholarship refer to knowledge existing or acquired. Learning is the most general term. It may refer to knowledge obtained by systematic study or by trial and error: a man of learning; learning in the real world. Erudition suggests a thorough, formal, and profound sort of knowledge obtained by extensive research; it is especially applied to knowledge in fields other than those of mathematics and physical sciences: a man of vast erudition in languages. Lore is accumulated knowledge in a particular field, especially of a curious, anecdotal, or traditional nature; the word is now somewhat literary: nature lore; local lore. Scholarship is the formalized learning that is taught in schools, especially as actively employed by a person trying to master some field of knowledge or extend its bounds: high standards of scholarship in history.

learn

[lurn] /lɜrn/
verb (used with object), learned
[lurnd] /lɜrnd/ (Show IPA) or learnt, learning.
1.
to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience:
to learn French; to learn to ski.
2.
to become informed of or acquainted with; ascertain:
to learn the truth.
3.
to memorize:
He learned the poem so he could recite it at the dinner.
4.
to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire:
She learned patience from her father.
5.
(of a device or machine, especially a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning with artificial intelligence.
6.
Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.
verb (used without object), learned
[lurnd] /lɜrnd/ (Show IPA) or learnt, learning.
7.
to acquire knowledge or skill:
to learn rapidly.
8.
to become informed (usually followed by of):
to learn of an accident.
Origin
before 900; Middle English lernen, Old English leornian to learn, read, ponder (cognate with German lernen); akin to lesan to glean (cognate with German lesen to read). See lear
Related forms
learnable, adjective
mislearn, verb, mislearned or mislearnt, mislearning.
outlearn, verb (used with object), outlearned or outlearnt, outlearning.
relearn, verb, relearned or relearnt, relearning.
Can be confused
learn, teach.
Synonym Study
1. Learn, ascertain, detect, discover imply adding to one's store of facts. To learn is to add to one's knowledge or information: to learn a language. To ascertain is to verify facts by inquiry or analysis: to ascertain the truth about an event. To detect implies becoming aware of something that had been obscure, secret, or concealed: to detect a flaw in reasoning. To discover is used with objective clauses as a synonym of learn in order to suggest that the new information acquired is surprising to the learner: I discovered that she had been married before.
Examples from the web for learning
  • E-learning has made higher education more convenient for millions of students.
  • How tenure protects free speech and students' learning conditions.
  • Two-thirds of those presidents said online learning was comparable to face-to-face instruction.
  • For adults to go on learning languages easily, they need to recapture the indifference of childhood.
  • learning while having fun is what makes the program successful.
  • Workaholics, take note: new research indicates that morning sleep and afternoon naps aid mental and physical learning.
  • Spiteful motivations and sophisticated social learning skills, however, appear uniquely human.
  • At the same time, gardeners are learning to blend standards into their landscapes.
  • The incentive is learning how to play guitar, not an explosive reaction from a virtual crowd.
  • learning also turns out to have dangerous side effects that make its evolution even more puzzling.
British Dictionary definitions for learning

learning

/ˈlɜːnɪŋ/
noun
1.
knowledge gained by study; instruction or scholarship
2.
the act of gaining knowledge
3.
(psychol) any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a direct result of experience

learn

/lɜːn/
verb learns, learning, learned (lɜːnd), learnt
1.
(when transitive, may take a clause as object) to gain knowledge of (something) or acquire skill in (some art or practice)
2.
(transitive) to commit to memory
3.
(transitive) to gain by experience, example, etc
4.
(intransitive; often foll by of or about) to become informed; know
5.
(not standard) to teach
Derived Forms
learnable, adjective
Word Origin
Old English leornian; related to Old High German lirnen
Word Origin and History for learning
n.

Old English leornung "learning, study," from leornian (see learn). Learning curve attested by 1907.

learn

v.

Old English leornian "to get knowledge, be cultivated, study, read, think about," from Proto-Germanic *liznojan (cf. Old Frisian lernia, Middle Dutch leeren, Dutch leren, Old High German lernen, German lernen "to learn," Gothic lais "I know"), with a base sense of "to follow or find the track," from PIE *leis- "track." Related to German Gleis "track," and to Old English læst "sole of the foot" (see last (n.)).

The transitive sense (He learned me how to read), now vulgar, was acceptable from c.1200 until early 19c., from Old English læran "to teach" (cf. Dutch leren, German lehren "to teach," literally "to make known;" see lore), and is preserved in past participle adjective learned "having knowledge gained by study." Related: Learning.

learning in Medicine

learning learn·ing (lûr'nĭng)
n.

  1. The act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skill.

  2. Knowledge or skill gained through schooling or study.

  3. Behavioral modification especially through experience or conditioning.

Idioms and Phrases with learning

learn

also see: