Word of the Day

: July 16, 2021

omniscient

adjective ahm-NISH-unt

What It Means

1 : having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight

2 : possessed of universal or complete knowledge

omniscient in Context

"You'll need to tell me when you don't understand something I've said," Maria said. "I'm not omniscient, you know."

"I suppose I had boxed myself into a corner by making the story first person, present tense, and thus not allowing for an omniscient narrator who could act as the Greek chorus for the reader, explaining as needed." — Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, quoted in The New Yorker, 24 May 2021

Did You Know?

One who is omniscient literally knows all. The word omniscient combines two Latin roots: omni-, meaning "all" or "universally," and the verb scire, meaning "to know." You will recognize omni- as the prefix that tells all in such words as omnivorous ("eating all" or, in actual use, "eating both plants and animals") and omnipotent ("all-powerful"). Scire likewise has a number of other knowledge-related descendants in English, including conscience, science, and prescience (meaning "foreknowledge").