Study

How to spell study

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce study

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does study mean?

1. verbTo apply the mind to learning or examining a subject closely.
2. nounA detailed investigation or piece of academic research into a subject.
3. nounA private room used for reading, writing, or work.

Study in a sentence

• verb

  She plans to study accounting at evening classes.

• noun

  The new study found a clear link between sleep and memory.

• noun

  He keeps his files and laptop in the study at the back of the house.

• verb

  He needs to study the contract before signing it.

• noun

  Her study of local rivers took three years to complete.

• noun

  The old house had a small study lined with bookshelves.

Where does study come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin studium, which meant 'eagerness, zeal, or painstaking application', and behind that lay the verb studere, 'to be eager, to busy oneself, to devote effort to something'. The original sense was less about books than about keen mental commitment, so an early student was essentially an enthusiast. English took the word in around 1300 by way of Old French estudie, and over time the meaning narrowed from general devotion toward the focused pursuit of knowledge. The same Latin root also gives us 'student' and 'studio', the latter arriving later through Italian. The simple spelling rarely traps adults, though the single 'd' and the final '-y' are the only points worth noting.

How the word is built

• stud- (from Latin studium: eagerness, application)
• -y (noun/verb forming)