Whate'er these book-learned blockheads say,
Solon's the veriest fool in all the play. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Clearness, Perspicuity. Clearness has reference to our ideas, and springs from a distinct conception of the subject under consideration. Perspicuity has reference to the mode of expressing our ideas and belongs essentially to style. Hence we speak of a writer as having clear ideas, a clear arrangement, and perspicuous phraseology. We do at times speak of a person's having great clearness of style; but in such cases we are usually thinking of the clearness of his ideas as manifested in language. “Whenever men think clearly, and are thoroughly interested, they express themselves with perspicuity and force.” Robertson. [ 1913 Webster ]

The dearness of corn. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fondness; preciousness; love; tenderness. [ 1913 Webster ]

The dearness of friendship. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

The high repute
Which he through hazard huge must earn. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To acquire by labor, service, or performance; to deserve and receive as compensation or wages; as, to earn a good living; to earn honors or laurels. [ 1913 Webster ]

I earn that [ what ] I eat. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The bread I have earned by the hazard of my life or the sweat of my brow. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Earned run (Baseball), a run which is made without the assistance of errors on the opposing side.

Syn. -- See Obtain. [ 1913 Webster ]

And ever as he rode, his heart did earn
To prove his puissance in battle brave. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Baseball) not resulting from an error by an opposing team; -- used in the phrase earned runs. [ PJC ]

Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

And given in earnest what I begged in jest. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

In earnest, serious; seriously; not in jest; earnestly. [ 1913 Webster ]

An earnest advocate to plead for him. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Serious; important. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

They whom earnest lets do often hinder. Hooker.

Syn. -- Eager; warm; zealous; ardent; animated; importunate; fervent; sincere; serious; hearty; urgent. See Eager. [ 1913 Webster ]

To earnest them [ our arms ] with men. Pastor Fido (1602). [ 1913 Webster ]

Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Cor. i. 22. [ 1913 Webster ]

And from his coffers
Received the golden earnest of our death. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) Something of value given by the buyer to the seller, by way of token or pledge, to bind the bargain and prove the sale. Kent. Ayliffe. Benjamin. [ 1913 Webster ]

Earnest money (Law), money paid as earnest, to bind a bargain or to ratify and prove a sale.

Syn. -- Earnest, Pledge. These words are here compared as used in their figurative sense. Earnest is not so strong as pledge. An earnest, like first fruits, gives assurance, or at least a high probability, that more is coming of the same kind; a pledge, like money deposited, affords security and ground of reliance for the future. Washington gave earnest of his talent as commander by saving his troops after Braddock's defeat; his fortitude and that of his soldiers during the winter at Valley Forge might rightly be considered a pledge of their ultimate triumph. [ 1913 Webster ]

An honest earnestness in the young man's manner. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

As to the common people, their stock is in their persons and in their earnings. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A stout woolen cloth of great thickness; dreadnaught; also, a warm garment. [ 1913 Webster ]

Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Matt. xi. 29. [ 1913 Webster ]

To learn by heart. See By heart, under Heart. --
To learn by rote, to memorize by repetition without exercise of the understanding. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now learn a parable of the fig tree. Matt. xxiv. 32. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To communicate knowledge to; to teach. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Hast thou not learned me how
To make perfumes ? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Learn formerly had also the sense of teach, in accordance with the analogy of the French and other languages, and hence we find it with this sense in Shakespeare, Spenser, and other old writers. This usage has now passed away. To learn is to receive instruction, and to teach is to give instruction. He who is taught learns, not he who teaches. [ 1913 Webster ]

The learnedlover lost no time. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Men of much reading are greatly learned, but may be little knowing. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Words of learned length and thundering sound. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

The learned, learned men; men of erudition; scholars.

-- Learn"ed*ly, adv. Learn"ed*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every coxcomb swears as learnedly as they. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The knowledge or skill received by instruction or study; acquired knowledge or ideas in any branch of science or literature; erudition; literature; science; as, he is a man of great learning. [ 1913 Webster ]

Book learning. See under Book.

Syn. -- Literature; erudition; lore; scholarship; science; letters. See Literature. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To learn out [ i. e., completely, utterly ]; to exhaust knowledge of. [ 1913 Webster ]

Naught, according to his mind,
He could outlearn. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Men and gods have not outlearned it [ love ]. Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Unearned increment (Polit. Econ.), a increase in the value of land due to no labor or expenditure on the part of the owner, but to natural causes, such as the increase of population, the growth of a town in the vicinity, or the like. Some hold that this should belong to the nation. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To forget, as what has been learned; to lose from memory; also, to learn the contrary of. [ 1913 Webster ]

I had learned nothing right; I had to unlearn everything. Milner. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To fail to learn. [ Obs. ] Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not gained by study; not known. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Not exhibiting learning; as, unlearned verses. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Un*learn"ed*ly, adv. -- Un*learn"ed*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

It yearns me not if men my garments wear. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother; and he sought where to weep. Gen. xliii. 30. [ 1913 Webster ]

Your mother's heart yearns towards you. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]