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Today it means

expert

a person with special knowledge

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Where does the word "expert" come from? It comes from Latin expertus, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

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Where does the word "expert" come from? It comes from Latin expertus, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Expert’s story begins in Latin: expertus meant “experienced, tried.” Past participle of 'experiri', to try, the root of 'experience'. It reached English by 1300s as expert. The noun, a person with special knowledge, dates from the 1800s. Today, expert means a person with special knowledge.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient expertus "experienced, tried", past participle of 'experiri', to try, the root of 'experience'.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s expert "experienced", the noun, a person with special knowledge, dates from the 1800s.

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