Learner

How to spell learner

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce learner

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does learner mean?

1. nounA person who is gaining knowledge or skill in something.

Learner in a sentence

• Every learner in the evening class received a printed workbook.

• The software adapts its pace to suit a slower learner.

Where does learner come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word builds on the verb 'learn', which comes from the Old English leornian, meaning 'to gain knowledge' or 'to study'. That verb traces back to a Germanic root connected to following a track or path, the idea being that knowledge is something you trail after and gather along the way; the same root family lies behind the word 'lore', meaning accumulated knowledge. The agent suffix '-er', also native English, simply turns the verb into 'one who does the action', so a learner is literally 'one who learns'. The form has been steady for centuries, and because both parts are plain English the spelling holds few surprises. The only thing to watch is the unstressed second syllable, where the 'er' ending can be confused with the 'ner' of the root, but the word is essentially just 'learn' plus 'er'.

How the word is built

• learn (Old English leornian: to gain knowledge)
• -er (agent suffix: one who does)